#this was originally her post and sea was too nervous to post it but i sure aint. i did ask her first tho. sea said it was fine. sea was

[gatsby-system-folks]

HAHAHA I SAID I WOULDN'T POST THIS WITHOUT BEING ASKED BUT HERE I GO ANYWAY. Cringe.

I'm sorry Freddie

So these are the 2 times we've seen Leo show romantic attraction

(Both from the Hidden City Job actually. I've mentioned before how gay Leo was in that episode)

Now look at this screenshot from Sparring Partner

He's looking at Cassandra the same way..

Almost moreso.

Like that's not the normal Leo boredom or annoyance or sarcasm.. he looks flustered.

[puppy-stevee]

G | 753 words

originally written and posted for @steddieholidaydrabbles' 2023 prompt: graduation tags: emma verse, modern au, famous corroded coffin, steddie being over-the-top parents

tagging some of the emma fans: @dangerous-disposition @tboybuck @patchworkgargoyle @steddieas-shegoes @theheadlessphilosopher

@worstsequence @hammity-hammer

“Does she know where we’re sitting?” Eddie asks as they shuffle down the rows of plastic seats, his bulky digital camera hanging around his neck by the strap.

(Eddie wanted to bring their tour photographer, Cody, but Steve had to gently remind him that the school already had one hired. Eddie only sulked for an hour.)

Steve levels him a look. “If she doesn’t see us, then she’ll spot one of these goons and follow the line.” He points over his shoulder to their accompanying party.

Wayne is directly behind him, followed by Robin and Chrissy. Jeff, Gareth, Freak, and the kids shuffle in behind them. As much as Eddie doesn’t like flaunting his celebrity status around, he had to call ahead the week before to request an entire row to be reserved just to fit all of them.

His baby is graduating kindergarten, he’ll be damned if he doesn’t pull out all the stops. They’re even having a little graduation party for her at the house afterwards—a backyard BBQ with everyone and the rest of the tour crew and family who couldn’t make it to the ceremony.

Not long after everyone is seated, Pomp and Circumstance crackles out of the loudspeakers and the kids start to walk down the aisle in pairs. It’s definitely not perfect, some kids take too-eager steps and some stop to hug their parents, but the teachers do their best to guide them.

Steve starts recording with his phone the second they spot Emma, the digital chime of Eddie’s camera shutter clicking away beside him. Her curls are barely tamed in the side pony she asked Eddie to put it in, but it matches the whole ‘rocker’ vibe she’s got going on.

Amongst the sea of summer dresses and pressed toddler slacks, their little girl is wearing her black denim battle vest over a light purple Hannah Montana shirt Steve had gotten at a yard sale, with a pale blue frilly tutu and a pair of silver glitter leggings and her black boots.

She looks nervous, though. Tense. Her shoulders are drawn up and her hands are clasped in front of her. Brown eyes dart this way and that around the room trying to spot a familiar face in the crowd and it breaks Steve’s heart to watch his kid be so anxious. Her teacher said she did great at practice yesterday, but that was without the fifty pairs of eyes on her.

Mike is sitting on the end and she finds him easily, her eyes lighting up in recognition, but there’s still a worried crease between her eyebrows that doesn’t smooth out until she’s locking eyes with her dads. She gives them a tiny wave as she walks by.

They both give her encouraging thumbs up and Eddie wishes he could just snatch her up and run out of the building with her.

They eventually get all the kids filed in and the principal stands behind the podium on the stage to welcome everyone. She goes through the awards first (Emma receives one for reading above her grade level, something that Eddie is very proud of) before the kids line back up to receive their little diplomas.

Halfway through the list, Eddie suddenly elbows Steve. “Shit, I didn’t hear her name, did we miss her?”

His phone is still recording. “Dude, her last name is M, we’re still in the J’s.”

“Oh, right.”

Emma’s class is only about 50 or so kids so it doesn’t really take that long to get to her name, but Steve and Eddie are still vibrating with the anticipation.

“Emma Munson.”

Immediately, their entire entourage is up on their feet and cheering and yelling. It’s way too loud for the cafeteria setting they’re in, and it echos, and you can definitely tell which of them are in the famous metal band.

Emma’s little cheeks turn the same color as her glasses but her grin is big and wide as she holds her certificate in front of her for the picture. Both Steve and Eddie are rapid fire pressing the shutter buttons on their cameras.

Once she’s off the stage, the principal clears her throat. “A reminder to please hold all applause until the end of the ceremony, thank you.” She gives them a not-so-subtle glare over the rims of her own glasses.

Sheepishly, their group sits back down and is quiet once more.

“We’re gonna be worse during her eighth grade graduation, right?” Steve whispers to Eddie.

“Oh, absolutely. She’ll want to kill us afterwards.”

buy me a ☕?

[cecilysass]

Hello! You once told me that I could always ask you for fic recs so here I am! I’ve only seen up to S2E17 so idk if you have anything that doesn’t deal too heavily after that. Minor spoilers/references are okay, just nothing major. I’m also not a smut person generally. If you can’t think of anything that fits those criteria, feel free to ignore this! I hope you have a lovely day:)

Okay, I am SO EXCITED about this question, but also nervous, because I don’t want to accidentally include something that will spoil you. I am going to throw a few recs out, and maybe others will think of more?

Universal Invariants by syntax6 This is so, so good. It’s a classic. A novel-length casefile, plus an AU riff on season 1 and 2 through the abduction arc, so I think you are entirely good with spoilers. The big change from canon is that Scully is still with her boyfriend, Ethan. (If you don't know Ethan, he is a character that was originally in the Pilot but cut from the actual show.) There are... other changes from canon, but you’ll see. There's some smut, but it’s not the focus. And there's a sequel to this, too, which you will definitely eventually want to read, but you're going to have to finish season 5 first.

the progression (and regression) of first names by skuls Scully works through some early identity issues in relation to Mulder. This author (skuls) is always delightful, always recommended.

Center Mass by kateyes224 This fic provides a painful, in character explanation for what might have happened between them after the Pilot that could have resulted in so much subsequent slow burn. Hot and angsty, but not really smutty.

Early On by sunflowerseedsandscience This is also an AU season 1 with Ethan, but this one is more focused on Scully slowly feeling her attention stray from Ethan as her relationship with Mulder develops. It's a series with ten (short) parts. It's very engaging. There are some smutty parts.

Eight Things That Could Have Happened In Oregon by Stephen Greenwood No spoilers here, only things that didn't happen but might sound like spoilers. This is wistful, a little sad, beautiful, odd. The First Year by mldrgrl Their first New Year's Eve, not long after the Pilot. I love the hesitant vibe here.

Still Feeling My Father Ascend - cecily_sass This is my own fic, so I am being kind of a self promoter recommending it to you. But it’s a Beyond the Sea post ep, and I know my own work pretty well lol, so I know there’s no later spoilers, or only really minor things that won’t be meaningful until later. It was written for a prompt for an early season fic exchange.

And I'm not going to recommend it exactly, but I do want to mention that one of the first works of XF fanfic was actually written in 1993 and published online in 1994, so during season one. It's called The Sound of Windchimes by Sarah Stegall. It's got some serious CW (noncon) and some pretty wild content (I've read it), but if you're brave or curious and interested in fan history, you can check it out. Here's the fanlore page, which includes links.

***

Obviously I can come up with SO MANY MORE fics as you get further along. So just let me know. I would say most XF fic is probably written about seasons 5 / 6 / 7 for whatever reason, so once you're in that range, everyone can give you tons. Anyone have any other favorite early season fic they can recommend? It's sometimes tricky because sometimes early MSR has later details embedded in it...

[leiawritesstories]

The Heroine: A Piratical Comedy

So I mentioned this earlier, but I took the inspiration for a fanfic piece that I wrote called "swords and sea breezes" and turned it into an original short story. and I had so much fun writing the original work that I'd love love love to share it with you all :D

it is...quite different from my fanfic style, primarily because the heroine is supposed to be completely ridiculous and shallow and maybe a little self-centered, which was a challenge to write but a very very fun challenge. anyway. here is the story, and i hope you enjoy!!! please please please let me know what you think (i'm nervous)

word count: 3,854

warnings: none ;)

enjoy!! hopefully *nervous quiver*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say she “hadn’t wanted to be on this ship” would have been a gross understatement. There was not a single molecule of Lady Cassandra Antoinetta Ellianna Worplesmith’s being that had not resisted this journey, but despite her valiant, eloquent attempts to stay off the ship, there she stood. Apparently her meddlesome parents would stop at nothing to force their only child into marriage with a foreign prince. 

It was positively medieval. She was sure that was the correct word. Cassandrietta—as her darling friends called her—was always receiving compliments for the wondrously dizzying quality of her speech. However, she was not prideful about her vocabulary, because her nurses and her tutors had been ever so careful to instruct her in cultivation of humility, and Cassa—which was the beastly nickname that her rotten little brother used to taunt her—was most cultivating of her humility. It groweth and bloometh’d like the flower of a rose, as she recalled that the poets said. 

Where was she? 

Ah—the ship. Positively medieval. She was entirely certain that her parents had laced her evening tea with a soporific sedative, because the honey and chamomile brew had tasted suspiciously of citrus. Cassandra loathed citrus; it tasted far too much like that ghastly orange juice that her governess insisted upon drinking every morning instead of a perfectly normal and acceptable cup of tea. 

When she awoke from her drugged sleep, Cassandra had locked herself in her cabin for three whole days and sat firmly on her bed with her arms folded across her dècolletage (which was a polite term for a lady’s, erm, chest), only emerging when the growling in her stomach increased to something akin to a lion’s gentle roar. The moment she cracked open her bedroom door, she immediately discovered a rotating patrol of soldiers posted outside in the narrow hallway, and it took her all of a week to convince the blue-jacketed young men that she was perfectly capable of relieving herself without supervision. They had blushed most endearingly when she first fluttered her fair lashes and implied that she required le toilette, because young men of course did not understand that proper young women like Lady Cassandra Antoinetta Ellianna Worplesmith required personal relief. 

It had taken her two additional weeks to convince her guards that her daily stroll about the deck was decidedly not enough fresh air for her delicate complexion, and they had finally allowed her to walk around the ship throughout the day, provided there was at least one guard tailing her at all times. She had taken to standing at the polished railing and staring off longingly into the horizon, affecting a pose that the heroines of her favorite romance novels always assumed whenever they were taken captive at sea and faced a fate most horrid. Those beautiful young ladies’ longing stares and sighing sighs always brought a handsome, wealthy, noble young man to the rescue. 

Cassandra had always dreamt of being rescued from a fate most horrid by a handsome, wealthy, noble young man. 

She folded her arms delicately upon the railing and propped the smart little point of her chin upon her gloved hands. Her favorite white silk gloves were unthinkably filthy after three full weeks without the proper staff to launder them, but a lady must not be seen without her gloves, even when said gloves were horridly speckled with dust and dirt from three entire weeks at sea. Besides, if a handsome, wealthy, noble young man were to suddenly appear for her rescue, she certainly could not be seen with bare hands. 

As the setting sun drifted airily beneath the horizon in a waterfall of pink, coral, rose, blush, mauve, and orange hues (oh! she did so love when she could exercise her artistic vocabulary), Cassandra felt a sea breeze ruffle her hems, and rather than risk exposing her ankles, an unspeakable offense against ladylikeness, she gathered her skirts in one hand and cleared her throat delicately. 

“Ahem! Corporal, I believe I shall retire to my chamber.” She lowered her gaze and peered up at her current guard ’neath demure lashes (another expression that her favorite romance heroines always wore on their dainty faces), for a proper lady could never look a man in the eye, particularly not one so shy as Corporal Smyth. 

The corporal cleared his throat several times. “Of-of course, my lady, p-p-please allow me to escort you.” Off he went, tripping over his oversized boots as he stumbled to open the door to the stairs. 

Cassandra graced the gangly young corporal with a sympathetic smile. She was fond of the boy soldier; he reminded her of the butler’s boy at home that she always sent on the most trivial errands purely because he had the prettiest manners. And—unlike Sergeant Wilbur, who was old and crotchety and communicated solely in surly commands—Smyth actually conversed with her. 

She was just about to ask Corporal Smyth if he would help her select her dress for dinner when the ship’s bell started up the most obnoxious clamor. “Why on earth must it be so loud?” she complained with a frown. An instant later, though, she smoothed out her expression, for frowning led to wrinkles, and wrinkles were worse than bare hands. 

“I-I am not certain, my lady,” Smyth replied. “Shall I—?” 

“All hands on deck!” bellowed Sergeant Wilbur, rushing past in a flurry of red cheeks and heavy, thumping bootsteps. “That means, you, Smyth!” He reached over and grasped the door to Cassandra’s room. “You—stay put.”

He slammed the door in her face! 

Cassandra was so incredibly outraged that she stood stock-still, gasping for an adequate retort. She snapped her mouth shut and crossed firmly to the door, but found it barred from the outside. No matter how hard she pushed or pounded the wood with her sensitive, small hands, it refused to budge. 

Incensed, she searched for an appropriately horrific epithet. “You absolute spinster!” she shrieked. There! Mamma always did say that a spinster was the worst fate that could befall a woman. That should be satisfactorily offensive. 

Cassandra returned to her bed, sat down, crossed her arms, and glared at the solidly barred door, counting her heaving breaths until her pulse slowed to a more ladylike pace. Up on deck, she heard all sorts of noises—yells from the sailors, barked commands from Sergeant Wilbur, clangs of metal, assorted booms and bangs and pops that sounded oddly like the annual fireworks show for the King’s birthday. If she had been locked in her room to prevent her from watching, Cassandra might have to become quite indignant. She walked to the small window and peered outside, squinting in the darkness. 

Something bright and fiery streaked across the sky in a blur. She gasped—it was fireworks! And those awful sailors had locked her in her room! 

Cassandra became quite indignant. 

She picked up a book from her valise, one of those terribly heavy, stuffy, dull books on etiquette that her governess made her read, and beat upon her door with the thick volume. To her surprise, she found it strangely satisfying. “Can none of you gentlemen hear me?” she cried, indignant. Goodness, but it was fun to be indignant! “I must see the fireworks!” 

She stopped hitting the door with the book when she ran out of breath, and she sat back down upon her bed and hurled the book at the door. It collided with her door with an immensely satisfying thump, but the door did not so much as budge. Cassandra scowled, her arms once again folded crossly over her dècolletage, and leant down to retrieve another horrid etiquette book to throw at the door. 

Just as that book thudded into it, the door collapsed inwards in a shower of splinters. 

Cassandra squeaked in shock and ducked her head under her pillow for safety. After a very long time (she counted all the way to twenty-five), she lifted a corner of the pillow and peeked out. Her door had been ripped clean off its hinges and laid in shambles upon the floor. Gaining confidence, she sat up slowly, picking up one more smaller book. She must ensure that the door was truly down, because she had once read a story wherein the heroine thought that her door was open but had discovered that she was dreaming, and Cassandra could not possibly risk that fate. So she threw the book. 

It hit the man in her doorway squarely in the nose. 

Cassandra shrieked. 

The man dropped his knife and clamped his hand across his profusely-bleeding nose. 

The book hit the ground with a dull thunk. 

“Alack!” It seemed the proper thing to cry as she hurried out towards the upper deck. 

She made it all of four steps before a rough, calloused hand wrapped around her upper arm and cut her escape short. “I don’t think so, my lady.” She was spun around to face the sailor with the bloodied nose, which was swollen and turning purple. 

Cassandra was so stunned by his flagrant breach of decorum that it took her ten full seconds to recover her speech. “One does not simply touch a lady!” she snapped, swatting his hand with her fan. A lady always had her fan tucked discreetly into her sleeve, of course. 

The man hissed, removing his hand. “You’re a fiery little thing, aren’t you?” 

“I am not the one who violates proper manners,” she retorted coldly, treating him to a blazing stare as her favorite heroines did. She huffed and turned on her heel, but once again, he stopped her. 

“I wouldn’t go up there if I were you, my lady.” This time, her fan was useless against his vice-like grip. To her horror, he lowered his scruffy jaw towards her ear. She squirmed in his grasp, tilting herself as far away from his smirking face as possible. “There be pirates up there.” 

Pirates?

Unable to recall a better solution, Cassandra swooned. 

~

She blinked awake to the familiar scent of salt water and the decidedly unfamiliar sensation of unblocked sun beating down upon her brow. With a sudden start, she roused herself and reached for her parasol, only to discover that her hands—her bare hands! The horror!—had been restrained by a roughly knotted length of rope. 

For a moment, she became so incensed that she could only stamp her dainty little foot and utter muffled squeaks of rage. “Untie me at once!” she finally managed to utter. “I am a lady!” 

“Aye, that we can tell, lassie.” A very large, very dirty, very grinning man with innumerable stains and rips in his shirt and trousers and a leather patch strapped across his left eye loomed up in front of her. “Why’d ya think we took ya?” 

Cassandra gaped in shock before she recalled that a lady must never allow her teeth to be visible and snapped her jaw closed. “And where, pray tell, have you taken me?”

“Welcome to Haitch Hemm Hess Cleavage, me lassie!” boomed the stout, redheaded, grossly unkempt sailor, his wide grin revealing atrociously crooked teeth and rancid breath that nearly caused Cassandra to swoon. And furthermore, he had the most vile Liverpudlian accent, which no doubt marked him as a man of ill repute. Her mother always said that men of ill repute spoke with Liverpudlian accents. 

“Ach, don’t ya be scarin’ the lass, now,” interjected another man, forcibly shoving the redheaded boor out of her view. This one was mildly easier on the eyes, with brown eyes and a patchwork kerchief tied around his dark hair, and he had the decency to sheathe his bloody dagger before he bowed to Cassandra. “After all, we have just kidnapped her.” 

Cassandra nearly swooned again—indeed, she would have swooned if it were not for the fortitudinous remembrance that heroines in romance novels were often kidnapped before a handsome, wealthy, noble young man could rescue them. “I do not recall seeing you upon my parents’ ship,” she sniffed, staring down her nose as best as she could when looking up at the abominably rude man. 

“’Twould be because he was up on deck, cutting down the idiots you called soldiers.” Oh, she knew that voice. 

Very slowly, Cassandra turned half around, her gaze descending upon the man who had rudely broken down her door (yes, she knew her etiquette books could not have made the stubborn thing implode) and lain his hands upon her person. It gratified her somewhat to notice that he bore a bandage on his swollen, crooked, purple-blue nose. She sneered. “Do explain why you saw fit to remove my person from my ship, sailor.” 

“Ah-ah, miss.” He clicked his tongue as if she were some impertinent child. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Kit Lancelot of this very fine vessel, Her Majesty’s Bosom, and if you would direct your gaze upwards, miss, you will soon discover just what kind of a ship we are.” 

“That is a ridiculous name, not to mention incredibly inappropriate.” Cassandra blushed but covered it by clicking her tongue as she looked upwards, her gaze tracing a vast expanse of sails, ropes, and dirty sailors lounging around in those ropes before alighting upon the black flag atop the tallest mast. As the flag bent in the breeze, it revealed the viciously grinning skull stitched upon its surface. 

And the rather artfully wrought…erm, bustier…beneath the skull. 

For the second time that day, Cassandra gaped. “You…pirates!”

“I did warn you, miss,” the pirate captain chuckled. He turned his attention to his crew of ne’er-do-wells, which was her novels’ common term for pirates. “Gents! This here is the Lady Cassie—”

“Excuse me!” She huffed furiously, wishing her hands were free so that she could throw another book at Captain Kit Lancelot’s smug face. “My name is Lady Cassandra Antoinetta Ellianna Worplesmith, and you may address me as ‘my lady’ or ‘Lady Cassandra.’” 

The pirate had the absolute gall to quirk up one eyebrow, stare at her, and laugh. 

“I was not brought here to be the object of your amusement,” Cassandra huffed. 

“Ah, that’s where you’d be wrong, Cassie.” The pirate captain strolled down from the slightly elevated deck and stopped just in front of her, so tall that she was forced to raise her eyes to meet his mirth-filled gaze. He apparently drew delight in calling her by an abhorrently shortened version of her proper name, the rogue. 

Although…for a rogue, he was quite handsome. 

Cassandra nearly slapped herself clear across the face. This man was a pirate—precisely the opposite of the handsome, wealthy, noble young man that would no doubt come to rescue her. Handsome he may be, but noble he was decidedly not. But he was quite handsome…

“I do hope you’ll enjoy your stay here on the fine ship Her Majesty’s Bosom,” Captain Lancelot drawled, raising one hand to his brow in a mocking sort of salute. “Allow me to show you to your chamber.” He looped her arm through his and escorted her (though his pace was so swift that he might as well have dragged her) below decks, down a corridor, and into a surprisingly clean room with a freshly made bed and a proper washstand in the corner. 

It was, if she could admit it, quite a noble act. Which made him both handsome and noble. 

“This is—I—” Before Cassandra could formulate a coherent sentence, the captain strode out of her room and barred the door, and in that instant, her flash of surprise curdled like spoilt milk into sour bitterness, and she spoke an epithet so horrific that her mother had threatened to slap her hands with a leather strap if it was uttered. “Blast you, pirate!” 

Though, if she told the proper truth, she quite wanted to kiss him, not blast him.

~

Three weeks passed upon the pirate ship with the name that Cassandra still could not hear without blushing, and her fate had yet to change. She began to wonder if these pirates (who, it was to be admitted, although begrudgingly, seemed almost decent men save for the fact that they practiced piracy) were in truth going to bring her to their lair and keep her in captivity forever, as the redheaded one had suggested. During her daily walks, which Captain Kit Lancelot had allowed her to take after she protested that her delicate complexion was wasting away in the belowdecks dampness (her beloved romance heroines were always complaining of belowdecks dampness), she always paused at the railing and stared across the empty ocean for a moment, wondering if she lived in a waking dream. 

That evening, as per usual, she paused at the railing, her bare hands clasping the weathered wood, and stared out over the endless expanse of waves and skies. Is this truly to be my fate? 

When the cannonball blazed across the pirate ship’s deck, there was no soldier by her side to order her to duck. 

Cassandra screamed and dropped to the deck, her heartbeat immediately racing. She half wondered if her sighing and wishing had brought this attack upon the pirate ship, but there was a tiny, soft voice in the back of her head that reminded her she was aboard a pirate ship. Attacks on pirates were as regular as rain in London. 

“Get below, Cassie!” Captain Kit Lancelot roughly yanked her to her feet, his firm grip around her upper arms shocking her back into reality. 

She gasped, outraged. “I am perfectly capable of walking without your assistance!” 

He smirked. “There’s that feisty spirit.” 

“I am not ‘feisty,’ Kit.” She spat his name with as much vitriol as she could muster. 

His smirk only widened. “Ah, Cassie, I do like it when you say my name.” He released her arms from his grasp. “Now get. Below.” 

Before she could whirl about and head for the stairs, there was a mighty chorus of yells as a group of blue-jacketed sailors stormed onto the deck of Her Majesty’s Bosom from the naval ship that had grappled itself to the pirate’s side. The leader of the group, sword in one hand and pistol in the other, charged straight for Kit and Cassandra, righteous fury smoldering across his handsome, noble face. 

The pieces suddenly clicked in her mind. 

Her rescue! She knew he would come for her. 

Swiftly, she ducked behind a nearby barrel, crouching down so that she could witness the fight unfolding before her but still have some protection from the battle that raged across the ship’s deck. Pirates and soldiers flung punches, kicks, swords, blades, guns, and curses at each other, darting back and forth in a sort of deathly dance. 

And none were more closely locked in deathly, mortal combat than Captain Kit Lancelot and Cassandra’s rescuer. 

Kit slammed the hilt of his dagger into the other man’s gun hand, knocking the pistol away. “Just what d’ye think yer doing on me ship, Lord Richard Emsberry?” 

Lord Richard Emsberry. Goodness, but it was a lovely, noble name for a lovely, noble man! 

“I’ve come to take the Lady Cassandra from your clutches, of course.” Lord Emsberry’s sword clashed with Kit’s, and she could have sworn that sparks flew from the impact of the blades. 

“That’s a delightfully noble plan, Lord Dick.” Kit laughed as he lunged. “Too bad you must fail.” 

“No more unfortunate than your remarkable ego,” Emsberry returned. He struck low, catching Kit off guard and slicing a crimson stripe across the pirate’s upper leg. 

Kit grunted. “You’ll pay for that.” 

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Emsberry glanced over towards Cassandra’s shelter. “I shall be with you in a mere moment, my lady!” He delivered a vicious punch to Kit’s shoulder, and Kit swore filthily, causing Cassandra to cover her ears and avert her gaze. 

She never could stand it when there were men swearing in her presence. 

A long moment passed, and when she ventured another peek, the deck had gone eerily quiet. She crept out from behind her barrel, delighted hope swelling within her heart when she beheld the wondrous sight of Lord Emsberry holding a weakened Kit by the collar, sword poised to execute his justice. It was a scene straight out of her favorite romance novel, and she could scarcely believe that her own romance would contain the same scene. 

Emsberry flourished his sword. “Come, Lady Cassandra! You are safe with me!” 

Cassandra stepped forth, gaining confidence with each stride she took. She envisioned the scene as it would be written—a noble young lady crossing the embattled deck to her handsome, noble, wealthy rescuer, who awaited for her blessing. She was two paces from Lord Richard Emsberry when she stopped and lowered her lashes, remembering that she must recall her demure, ladylike manners. “I thank you for your most noble and virtuous rescue, my lord.” 

He released the pirate captain’s collar, letting Kit drop to the deck, and extended his hand to Cassandra. “My ship awaits your fair presence, my lady.” 

“Oh, I do believe I’ve dreamt of this rescue!” She delicately placed her fingertips over his palm. 

Metal screeched against wood as Captain Kit Lancelot shoved himself to his feet, sword grasped firmly in his bloodied hand. “Cassie, don’t tell me you see this as your ideal romance.” 

She sighed plaintively, like the heroine always did at this juncture. “Perhaps, if you had turned out to be noble, I might have cast you as the hero.” 

Kit scoffed. “There is no world in which I am a hero.” She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. “And you should really think twice about believing everything you read in books.” Sunlight glinted off Kit’s blade as he thrust forwards in a powerful, brutally beautiful arc. 

It plunged clean through Lord Richard Emsberry’s chest.

And as Kit jerked his sword free, the lord stumbled backwards and toppled into the sea with a pathetic final splash. 

Cassandra’s entire being froze, stunned to the core. “You…he…my lord!”

Kit tipped his head back and laughed, wild and raucous. “Like I told you when we first met, Cassie, here there be pirates. And I’m king of them all.” A breeze brushed across the deck, tousling his dark hair in a delightfully artful way. 

She did appreciate the sight of a handsome man with windblown hair, and the men who won the heroine did always have windblown hair. And…well…if a proper lord was not in her story, could her story end with a pirate king?

Kit’s hand wrapped around her arm. “Gents, take Lady Cassie to the brig.” 

To the—that was not what the hero of the novel was supposed to do! 

As the iron bars of the brig door slammed shut with a resounding clang, Cassandra dropped to the floor, her formerly perfectly coiffed head falling despondently into her hands. Melancholy (it had to be melancholy, as always behooved a proper lady in dire straits) swept over her, and for the first time since she’d been taken to the pirate ship, she…doubted. 

She doubted happy endings. 

She doubted her happy ending most of all. 

~~~

Tags--please lmk if you want to be tagged for original work :)

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[moralesmilesanhourlibrary]

school days

summary: bumping into miles on the first day of school. originally posted: sept. 18, 2019 a/n: I apparently originally planned for this to have multiple parts...? But clearly that did not happen lmao.

Physics was your first class.

Everyone was lined up in front of the classroom and asked to "enter silently".

Guess who had to sit in the very first row?

Each student received a black, college ruled notebook for labs and note-taking. Absently, you stare into the blue horizontal stripes of your notebook.

Vacant.

Taunting.

The thought of how each line would eventually need to be filled by the end of the year creates an abyss in your stomach.

You sat for what felt like years into the clean, white, uniform notebook paper until you're startled out of your trance by the woman standing at the front of the classroom, clearing her throat at you.

She sharply gestures towards herself, meaning "I'm up here".

Snapping your head back up, you realize that everyone had been rapidly setting up their notebooks, numbering pages and writing their names. You'd have to finish at home.

The next three classes floated right past you then, suddenly, you were making your way downstairs to the lunchroom.

You didn't know what you expected the cafeteria to look like, but it sure wasn't this!

The lunchroom was emmaculate. The white tiled floors were freshly waxed, the walls painted blue and yellow with stenciled murals of various historical figures. The windows above the cafeteria let in some afternoon sun let in just enough light to almost convince you that you'd had a great day.

What you were most interested in, though, was the smell of tomato sauce and cheese that wafted from the serving area.

You grab a seat at one of the long white tables on the right of the room; it was the emptiest table available,

but not for long.

You recognized that afro immediately.

It was the kid that almost injured you earlier! You intentionally turned your head away so that he knew you were NOT tryna talk, but Locker Kid unfortunately did not get the message. You feel a tap on your shoulder.

" 'Scuse me"-

The kid also had the audacity to touch you! Great!

You violently turn your entire body to face him and give your best glare.

"Uh, you dropped your pen third period?"

Your posture relaxes as you take a second to register that it was, in fact, your pen that the boy held out to you in his palm.

Were you being too mean..?

Avoiding eye contact, you take the pen and force out a quick "thanks" before getting up to go pick up a tray of food.

This school may look nicer, but all schools have the same cardboard-and-cheese they called pizza. Still, you made an attempt to take a few bites so that you didn't COMPLETELY starve later.

Out of curiosity, you examine Locker Kid while he wasn't looking. His complexion was a couple shades lighter than your own mahogany skin. You both wore the same starched royal blue blazers and white shirts, as did everyone else.

God, you hated that uniform.

He took a paper bag out of his backpack, containing a chopped cheese sandwich wrapped in tinfoil, the sight of which only made you hungrier. Lost in your thoughts about food, the boy catches you staring.

He asks with a nervous grin, "want a piece?"

You? ASK for food from a STRANGER?

In an attempt to salvage some dignity, you shake your head no.

The kid insists.

"I owe you for slamming into you earlier," he awkwardly laughs.

You shrug and decide to take half of the sandwich. Admittedly, it's way better than the school pizza.

"Thanks," you tell him, meaning it this time.

The boy gives you a grateful grin, and the two of you eat in peaceful silence amongst the clamor of the rest of the cafeteria.

Before you know it, the bell rings and you make your way through a sea of students upstairs and to your last three classes.

Peering at your schedule, you see that you have literature, pre-calc, then algebra 1. The majority of said classes consisted of teachers introducing themselves and previewing coursework, you were relieved to find.

Leaving your final class of the day, you abruptly halt your quick steps as you nearly bump into someone.

Looking up from your shoes, you're met with a familiar set of brown eyes:

It was the boy who'd shared his lunch with you!

His expression lights up as he recognizes you, "Hey! We stay bumping into each other huh?"

A grin ghosts your face as you start to warm up to him. None of your friends had transferred to this school, so you might as well make yourself a new one, right?

"Well since we pretty much know each other by now, I never caught your name?"

"Miles."

Miles. You tried to remember that name as you made your way home.

[iwriteasfotini]

A Bit Annoying

A Subtextual Rosekiller Excerpt

I don't know why exactly but Rosekiller is turning into THAT SHIP. Everything I post about them gets notes faster than the other ships. Maybe there is just less content out there? IDK, They weren't in my original story plan, but they are there now. And I was drawn to them because I love digging into the backstory of the "bad guys."

A lot of their scenes aren't spoilers to the overall plot of my story. So since they are the hot topic, and because I'm dying to share more writing, I'm going to comb everything I've written so far and share snippets of them with you all. I hope you enjoy these weirdos!

Here's a little subtextual Rosekiller scene from The Heart of the Lion, Regulus' POV and in his third year, as is Barty. Evan is a fifth year.

...

Evan was magically summoning all the golf balls back into the leather bag and Regulus made to leave the pitch. But Evan called after him. 

“Hey, hold up Black.”

Regulus paused and turned back. Evan was now levitating the chest and the bag in front of him, he was heading towards the broom shed, so Regulus fell in step with him. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

“Ok.”

“This is Slytherin to Slytherin,” Evan looked a bit nervous. “Barty says -”

“Yes, please do tell me what Barty is saying about me behind my back.”

“That you can’t be trusted.” Evan closed the door of the broom shed and locked it with a key. He fixed Regulus with an even stare.

Regulus didn’t betray a sign of relief or anger. He nodded curtly. “What do you think?”

“I think your family history is way more robust than Barty’s and he’s jealous.”

“Barty is an immature fussy child who throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants and then blames other people for his failure.”

Evan nodded, “I agree. You know, his home life is pretty terrible. His dad ignores him, acts like he doesn’t exist, and his mother isn’t all there mentally. They have full time live in help to tend to her. Barty basically raised himself.”

Welcome to the club, Regulus thought. But no, Sirius had raised Regulus, and at the time, Sirius had been all Regulus needed. He had been the steady mast in a turbulent sea.

“Then what he needs are true friends,” said Regulus. “When you are isolated like that, your friends can be your saving grace. People need someone to love them.”

If Regulus didn’t have Severus and Lily he didn’t know what he would be turning into right now. Likely someone who harbored a lot more bitter resentment and anger. Having his two friends made all the difference in the world. They were a team, for now, while at Hogwarts. 

Regulus wondered if Barty had a single close friend. He was an only child, as so many purebloods were, no wonder the bloodlines were dying off. And for the first time Regulus felt empathy for Barty’s plight. Last year, Regulus had told Barty how idiotic it was to act alone. But Regulus didn’t have to live life alone every day. And when he was isolated, he saw how much harder life could be. 

“I know Barty is sort of annoying,” said Regulus. “But I think if you can try and really be friends with him, he might feel better about himself. It certainly wouldn’t hurt him. Just keep him in check, yeah?”

Evan seemed to be contemplating this. 

For good measure, Regulus added, “look at it as a social experiment, what do you have to lose?”

 “I don’t see you rushing off to befriend him, and he’s in your year.”

“He doesn’t want to be friends with me, he wants to be friends with you and your mates.”

They had walked slowly, even so, they were now at the base of the castle steps. 

“Thanks… for not getting defensive.” Evan gave him a long look. He was quite a bit taller than Regulus and he had actually started filling out, looking closer to a man than a boy. “I don’t care what Barty says, you are always welcome with us. And maybe you’re right, maybe Barty will come round if he doesn’t feel like it’s him against the world all the time.”

Regulus didn’t respond, he knew only too well what it felt like to be small and scared and feel like the whole world was against you. But he’d always had a hand to hold, he had never stood alone. 

“Well, I’ll see you Saturday afternoon yeah?” said Evan after an awkward silence. 

“Yes, and Rosier, I think you’ll make a solid team captain,” said Regulus. 

Evan’s cheeks went a bit pink. “Thanks.” 

With a slight wave, Evan headed up the stairs. Regulus waited a few moments, then followed.

...

You can find out more about this series in my pinned post.

[thebroccolination]

Behind the Scenes The Evolution of the Near-Punch in Between Us

Intro

One of my favorite things about any production is when I find out that there's been a collaborative effort in the storytelling and character-building. Between Us, directed by New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul, has a fantastic example of this: the evolution of the post-drowning scene in episode six.

So! Overall, there have been three iterations of the scene: the original in the novel, the pilot teaser released in February of 2022, and episode six of the main series.

Let's see how we got from A to Bee to Sea. (I'm not sorry.)

The Novel Scene

“Entering the pool without permission from an authorized person is breaking the rules. You can be kicked out of the club.” His fierce eyes were looking at the junior who was now very pale. “And if I had not noticed the light from the pool, which made me come to check, what would have happened?!” Win felt a chill in his heart. He had just walked past the club and had seen the lights. He thought he had forgotten to turn them off, so he came to check. But instead, he saw someone drowning in the middle of the pool. If he hadn’t come in time... “Answer me, Team! Why are you doing this?!” Win grabbed the boy's shoulder and forced him to make eye contact. “I wanted to practice.” “What?!” “I just wanted to practice so that I could get a good time tomorrow!!” “What fucking practice!!" Win shouted, his eyes redder than the person who almost drowned. "You almost drowned, you bastard!! you almost died in front of me, do you understand!” “I…” smack The senior punched him hard in the face with a force that caused him to sway. Team cried out and felt the taste of blood in his mouth. He wanted to make excuses, but when he saw the pain in the senior's eyes, he couldn't speak. “Hia, I...” “If I came one minute later. No, even if only thirty seconds later, you might have already drowned at the bottom of the pool, do you understand?” “I…” The boy hugged himself tightly. It was true. A few more moments and he would have... Team was shocked when his body was suddenly pulled and hugged, his face buried in Win’s chest. Win's whole body was trembling like a frightened animal. Team’s guilt was so overwhelming that he couldn't say anything, but he raised his hands and hugged him back. He gently stroked Win's wet back to comfort him. “Don't do this again...” “Mmm…” “My heart will break…” “Mmm…” Team hugged the senior more tightly as warm tears fell from his eyes. It was not only him who was hurt. Hia was, too. - Hemp Rope (Eng Translation)

To summarize, Team is nervous about the upcoming qualifying meet. He only got two hours of fitful, nightmare-ravaged sleep on his own the night before, so he decides swimming will help him sleep. He sneaks into the pool, doesn't stretch, and swims until his leg cramps up. He nearly drowns, Win saves him, berates him, punches him, hugs him, takes him home, etc.

In many ways, it's very similar to the scene we got in the main series. But it's different enough that I wanted to talk about it.

I've talked about my personal perspective on the novel scene before. Basically, I've drawn a line in my head between Novel WinTeam and Main Series WinTeam. Novel WinTeam are LazySheep's creation, so what they do and say and think and feel are primarily decided by LazySheep and her editor. Main Series WinTeam, however, were created through the close collaboration of Sheep acting as a scriptwriter adapting her work for the screen, New, and WinTeam's actors Boun and Prem. (And opinions and reactions from fans and professionals affiliated with the series have also likely shaped their development along the way.)

[Sheep drew and posted this adorable comic of WinTeam and BounPrem together the day Between Us was first announced on July 5th, 2020.]

Boun's Win has always had a casual, insouciant kind of charisma that feels inherently nonthreatening, whereas Novel Win sometimes feels more like a Dude. A Good Dude, but a Dude nonetheless. Then we have Prem's Team who is, simply put, sassy and adorable, whereas Novel Team is also, y'know, kind of a Dude.

Take the hookup scene as an example. In the novel, there's no conversation about consent, no careful check that Team's sober and aware of what's going on. It's just what you'd expect from two horny guys down to bone: some light banter and then Win gives Team a handjob while they're still outside. And that's fine! It's realistic! It's probably happening somewhere right now. <3

“What do you want me to help you with?” Win crossed his arms across his chest and looked at the junior who was clearly uncomfortable and looked like he was ready to slap his face. “If you leave it like this, it's torture, don’t you know? It'll be very uncomfortable. Just helping each other as friends, right?” He raised his eyebrows, challenging the junior. Team turned around and peered at the darkness around him. Only the sound of the waves from the beach hitting the shore and the laughing sounds of the other young men who were still at the barbecue could be heard. “What are you looking at?” Team gulped and asked tentatively. Win shrugged his shoulders, pulled the upper arm of the junior, and walked towards the dark corner of the bungalow and into the dense, quiet bushes. “Shit! Huh, really? Seriously?” Team, who had never let a friend help him jerk off, was feeling light-headed. The more he saw, the more he knew that hia was serious. Team was startled when he was suddenly turned to face the bungalow wall. “Shush, don’t make any noise. People in the next room will hear,” Win said while pushing his leg in between Team’s own legs to push them apart. Team squinted and stared at the senior with shock. So skillful! “Mmmm…” The boy could barely hold his breath when he felt the warmth on his back. His elastic pants were pulled down along with his underwear. He almost didn’t want to believe what he was doing right now. - Hemp Rope (Eng Translation)

This is just standard hookup culture. Team's hot, Win's DTF, Team makes the startling realization that he, too, is DTF, so they go off and F. After the handjob, Win goes to his room, then Team hesitates and follows him. No coercion, just like the series. We don't get the sex scene in detail, but we know from Team's narration that they did in fact have some good ole fashioned penetrative sex that night (with protection!). And then they don't have sex again. We're up to chapter seventeen of Hemp Rope, and so far, chapter one is the only time they've Done the Deed. [EDIT 12-16-2022: Chapter eighteen was released yesterday and -spoiler- there’s a note from the author saying WinTeam have sex there but she’s releasing the scene later on as bonus material.]

I bring this up to emphasize that these are different characters from the ones BounPrem are portraying. So when I read the chapter with the punch, I thought it fit. Because it's who they are in the novel. We don't really see Win's insecurities explored in Hemp Rope, so for me, punching Team came across as evidence of how frantic and primal his fear of losing Team was, and perhaps a bit of his role of club senior crossing wires in his brain with his role as Team's Surrogate Sentient Bolster Pillow.

It's also worth noting that Team sneaking into the club in the novel is framed as a bad thing that he knows he could get in trouble for.

He risked getting caught sneaking in. The tall, slim body of the intruder was standing on the edge of the pool, staring blankly at his reflection in the water. Initially, Team was determined to go back to his room, but after he thought it over, he was so nervous that he couldn't sleep. He decided to sneak into the club to practice for a couple of hours. It might help him feel more comfortable and sleep better. - Hemp Rope (Eng Translation)

He's sneaky about it. He doesn't casually tell Manaow or anyone that he's going. There's no plan to stay with Pharm, no DeanPharm date that stops him. He's just an ornery, sleep-deprived cat in a bad headspace, so he sneaks into the pool knowing it's going to get him in trouble if he's caught. In essence, he isn't framed as Team the Terribly Tragic: he's exhausted, sure, but he's also being irresponsible.

So to me, the punch in the novel felt like a, "You nearly died in front of me because you broke the rules to practice for a qualifying meet you wouldn't even have remembered in five years, you spectacular idiot." And because Win and Team being more Dudes' Dudes in the novel, that gave them an added feeling of Dudes Being Guys Who Punch. (See Also: PeteKao) It's not right or good of Win to do, but for me, the situation made sense for the characters as they are in the novel.

That brings us to:

The Pilot Teaser

The pilot teaser was our first visual of the scene, released in February of 2022.

According to behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, BounPrem practiced the punch with New on the set multiple times before they started rolling. So it was fully in the cards as something they were going to do.

But then, in the middle of the scene itself, Boun made a different choice.

Thing is, Win does hug Team in the novel. Boun just skipped the punch. When he was asked about it, Boun said he didn't feel like Win would ever hit Team.

And this is where I have a ton of respect for New and Sheep and their production: they listened to him. And then they actually incorporated his choice into the canon.

In the same pilot teaser where Boun literally pulled his punches, Prem cried after singing, even though the script didn't mention anything about Team crying. When Sheep asked him why, Prem said, "I just think Team would cry."

And again, they listened to him. They kept it.

Yesterday, Sheep did a Twitter Space talk with fans where she said Prem has been devotedly asking her if he's portraying Team correctly. She told him warmly that he knows how to play Team, and the version he portrays in the series is Team, but a Team who is fully his.

The thing with great adaptations is that they have to be allowed to become their own creation. Boun and Prem have lived with these characters in their hearts for so long that they have their own readings now of how they feel and breathe. Boun loves Win so much he said he felt empty when they unofficially wrapped up filming last month; Prem loves Team so much he's asked Sheep over and over to confirm and reconfirm that WinTeam get a happy ending (they do). They're not just doing this for a paycheck; this is a passion project. WinTeam gave them their spotlight, and they viscerally treasure these roles.

And to me, the fact that their feelings and thoughts were discussed and put into practice on the fly is really, immensely beautiful to me.

The Main Series

Now for the version we all saw yesterday.

I was so excited to see this scene. It's my second favorite in the novel (the first being the homophobia scene that we'll see next week in episode 7), and I was wildly curious about what else they'd added or adapted around Boun's punch-less choice.

First of all, the energy from both Boun and Prem is a lot higher than it was in the pilot teaser, and you can see the calm leave Win's eyes when Team gives his excuse.

The pilot teaser scene was great, and I think it fit the novel well, but the main series has been building up to Win's breakdown, so this scene really had to sell it. The script has been hinting at insecurities that are all yanked out for display in this scene.

I think Boun might have ad-libbed the "damn it" part, too, which made it my favorite line delivery of the scene. Win's voice not only breaks because he's so angry, it's also higher in tone than Win usually speaks, underscoring how out of his mind and beyond rationality he is.

Then we get to the raised fist.

And what I love about these three shots in succession is that we go from: fist, face, combination of both. The action, the emotion, the realization.

Then we see moment he realizes what he was about to do, and what he can't do.

And finally, what he chooses instead.

They took Boun's character choice and built on it beautifully. His raised fist in the pilot teaser is quick and angry and impulsive, but the main series shows him shaking and angry and terrified. He has the impulse, but he's a rational person at his core, and the sight of Team accepting whatever Win is going to do to him, because he believes he deserves it, is what snaps Win out of it.

Win's been portrayed by Boun in three different iterations now: 1) Until We Meet Again, in which he didn't have a lot of material to work with, so he let Win borrow some of his own personality traits. 2) The Between Us special episodes released in autumn of 2021. These aren't canon and were based on Sheep's social media skits that she just posted for fun. The episodes were produced as a symbol of gratitude to fans for waiting so long for the main series. As a result, the characterization in the special episodes is all over the place, and they were extremely aware of it. SWS staff and actors made a lot of jokes on social media about which scenes were BounPrem and which were WinTeam, so they're very much Grain of Salt content. 3) The main series currently airing.

Ever since Boun was cast as Win in spring of 2019, he's spent a little over three and a half years with this character, so it makes sense that the character's depth would become more and more multifaceted through his choices. Sheep started posting chapters of Hemp Rope back in or before 2017 even before the rights to The Red Thread had been sold to New and Wabi Sabi. There was no Boun, no Prem, no UWMA. Just a fun little hookup-to-lovers story with some trauma thrown in.

When Boun was cast, some fans of the novel complained that he was too thin and he looked nothing like the character. Putting aside my own very normal feral yet parasocial feelings of protectiveness for Boun and how much unnecessary pressure fans put on actors to look a certain way, there are indeed some superficial differences between the novel character and the actor. Physically, Win is drawn and described by Sheep as broad and muscular, even more so than Dean.

Team looked at him with a sharp expression. Then he moved his eyes to Win’s abs. Because he was a very attractive person, he did not like to wear shirts. He liked to show off his tattoos regardless of his roommate. Looking at those abdominal and chest muscles, Team grabbed his own muscles. Mm, pretty good. - Hemp Rope (Eng Translation)

Sheep was a little hesitant about Boun at first because of this, but New stuck by his casting choice. Once people saw Boun with his hair dyed, it's been said by older fans that the majority of the complaints ended. With this in mind, the Win we have now was always going to be a different version from his novel self purely because New and Sheep chose an actor by his skill and his chemistry with his screen partner rather than by a physical likeness to the character.

After Boun was cast as Win, and after Sheep got to know him and Prem, and after Between Us was green-lit, she continued writing new chapters of Hemp Rope with a slightly newer take on the characters. She's said on Twitter that she's struggled to separate BounPrem from the characters (mostly jokingly), and she was also adapting the script for the series at the same time, so a lot of character building was going on at this time.

In 2021, Sheep wrote a long, long thread on Twitter telling fans how anxious and afraid she was of getting Between Us wrong. Not for herself, but for BounPrem. For New. For the queer community. She's an author who truly understands, to a debilitating degree, the amount of influence her work has. She knew this is BounPrem's first major series as leading actors, and she clearly felt the stress of that responsibility as the scriptwriter.

This whole scene does so much to showcase their strengths and growth as actors. Just like the scene itself, they've evolved over the years and shaped the characters and their story.

Hemp Rope doesn't deeply explore Win's insecurities and flaws, but Between Us needed to because it shines a spotlight on both of them. To make this a full and complete series, they needed to add to the story LazySheep created, and I believe that Boun and Prem's contributions, delivered from a place of love for their characters, will be what elevates Between Us into a truly iconic series.

[purplesimmer455]

I was originally going to post these photos of Luna and Chrissy (and some of another cute couple Riley and Stephanie) with the ones of Iseul and Grace as a sort of day late valentines post, but there were too many photos of each couple so I'm posting it separately*. 😄

So, here are Luna and Chrissy out on a date at the Diving Pelican in Brindleton Bay. Luna adjusts her purple dress and smiles at her wife, who looks stunning in her hot pink dress (they'd gotten the outfits together at Simsa), and Chrissy smiles back. "You look gorgeous, Lu." Chrissy says softly. "Thanks Chrissy, so do you." Luna says back.

Plus, they reminisce about their first date at the restaurant, when they were 15 and Chrissy asked Luna out. "I was so nervous, and then you and your dads came to pick me up and you looked so gorgeous in your dress that my brain stopped working and I couldn't stop blushing or smiling. I couldn't believe that a girl as cool and smart and gorgeous as you would date an admittedly cute but awkward as heck girl like me." Luna says, grinning. "I was super nervous too, babe, and excuse me you're not just cute, you're as beautiful as the sunsets we saw in Tomarang a few months ago." Chrissy says as Luna blushes. "Plus, I've loved you since we were kids and you'd make up goofy stories to make me laugh, and we'd walk around Whiskerman's wharf and pretend to look for sea monsters and go to the library so we could research what treats and toys sea monsters liked best and then sit and watch the water and talk as I made observation notes." Chrissy adds, laughing. Luna grins as she thinks of the good memories with Chrissy. "I swear I saw Emily the sea monster once on our adventures." Luna adds, and Chrissy shakes her head, grinning. "Sure, Lu." She says.

[katyspersonal]

Let’s talk about Adeline for once!

1. Do you project onto this character?

11. How did you “fall in love” with this character?

19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Her!! 🌊 (Asks from this ( x ) as game)

1) Do you project onto this character?

Kiiiiinda...? a whole lot Although it would be more appropriate to say that I see myself in her than project, because the more relatable bits are "canon", actually xD She is a weird one out amongst the patients to not be scared of horrors of the Deep Sea but desire them, she is guilty of neglecting/not getting Maria's advice of going a more sparing road towards the Stars but then sorta gets it when Kos reveals the same advice to her in inhuman language, and she is so nervous about no longer being in contact with the horrors... I know all of this very intimately. (Mental health TMI warning) Heck, I am the type that gets nervous when hallucinations, voices or 'presences' are absent for a while because I have this deep belief I've failed as a human being and only by being in contact with "horrors" my life can have some meaning :^)

I'd say 'projection' bit comes through how I interpret her motivations! "Grooming" of Blood Saints IS a translation error and in the original the word is used to say "prepare"(as in medical procedure), but it doesn't exclude some sort of emotional manipulation, just makes it a choice rather than direct lore. But nope! I took Adeline as a volunteer in experiments, coming from her own depression (and even insanity), not listening to advices or warnings of people that wished better fate to her and trusting a guy who was obviously full of shit cultist because she is Just Like That and having a good time with horrors not because her sense of self-worth was reduced by Healing Church, but because she never had one.. Blood Saint era, I think, was her willing to sacrifice something about her to help people. Laurence benefitted from that, not created that! I am guilty of all this, so now she is too :> In other words, she has agency because I do.

11) How did you "fall in love" with this character?

It actually took me some time! And I actually feel ashamed of how 'selfish' my reasoning was :') I always liked her enough, but she raised so far in the top of my favs when I figured her connection to 'Sea' theme, yeah. Right after I properly analyzed it via Miyazaki's bad post-BB hangover in DS3. Hhhyhhhghj Basically, figuring we did have spiritual connection with this character 'activated' my brain to notice and focus on everything else about her. And I've found soooo many things.. I brought back the "Points of interests about Adeline" analysis just recently and so you probably believe me x)

19) Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Oh, absolutely! Whenever I scrutinize how far I've spiraled and it gives me feelings of self-hatred, I do find comfort in knowing that "I am just like Saint Adeline for reeeeal!!!!!1! XD". ......representation matters....? And comfort character term especially fits, because in most cases I focus on her when I have a bad day! (Don't worry and send me DMs when I do post about her though! Like I said, she DOES make me feel better already!)

[angelasscribbles]

Run Away: A Bad Romance One-Shot and a Choices Prompt Story

Series: Bad Romance Continues

Original Series: Bad Romance

This is a @choicesprompt story, find this prompt here.

Fandom: The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Pairings for series: Riley x Liam x Max, Riley x Drake, Riley x Rashad

Pairing for this chapter: Riley x Rashad

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language, mature themes

Word Count:  3,390

A/N: I haven't written a Riley and Rashad chapter in a while and I missed their dynamic so here you are!

The original Bad Romance chapter referenced in here is chapter 20: Full Disclosure. Chronologically this follows the one shot Interview.

subspace is explained here (it is simply mentioned, there is no NSFW scene in this piece)

My other stuff: Master List.

“Grab your coat, leave a note, and run away with me.”

“What?” Riley stopped what she was doing and turned to face the man standing across from her in astonishment, “Did you not hear what I just said about how insane this day has been?”          

“I heard every word you said, ya amar,” Rashad answered, “That’s why you need a break. Come on, grab your coat, and let’s go!”

Riley stared at him in consternation for a long moment as she considered his words.

Riley was having a hell of a week.

The Royal Council was being a royal pain in her ass. They hadn’t approved the budget she’d spent the last two months working on and they were pushing for her to consider marriage alliances for her daughter.

Like hell.

Drake was off on his annual deep-sea fishing trip with Bastien, which usually left Marco in charge but not this week. No, this week Marco had the fucking flu so Bruno was running point on everything and he wasn’t good at it.

The schedule kept getting fucked up. Either she had too many guards or not enough. She’d never even seen the kid that was posted outside her door that morning. He was far too young, far too nervous, and far too fucking excited for her to deal with at six a.m.

Crown Princess Eleanor was being extra and two of the part-time nannies had quit in the last week.

Kiara was back in town. Riley had run into her at a high-profile charity event and had to pretend to be nice to her.

Madeleine had just started her job as royal communications director and was running roughshod over her inherited staff. The HR complaints were stacking up but Riley couldn’t deny the countess was excellent at her job. She wasn’t inclined to fire her, but she was tired of fielding complaints about a hostile work environment. The countess had exacting standards. The queen could not argue with her results. Maybe it was time for some restructuring anyway.

Liam was out of town on business leaving her to deal with everything. Fucking Liam. He was the whole reason she was even queen to begin with. She had never wanted it. Not for herself anyway.

She didn’t even have Max to fall back on because thanks to the nanny issue, he’d had to stay home with Ellie.

She had been about ready to break down when a knock sounded on the door and her new office manager stuck her head in to announce Rashad’s arrival.

Martha was the seventh office manager she’d had in the three years since she’d become queen.

The first hadn’t worked out because he had been extremely hot and Liam had gotten extremely jealous.

The second had turned out to be dumber than a rock and Riley was forced to admit she had hired him for his abs.

The third time she hired a woman, but she had been extremely hot and extremely interested in Drake. She had lasted a day.

“Wow!” Miranda breathed as she watched Drake from across the room, “The captain of the Queen’s Guard is hotter than all nine circles of hell!”

“What?” A hugely pregnant Riley snapped.

“Captain Walker, the head of-“

“I know who the head of my Queen’s Guard is!” Riley slammed the file cabinet shut, “He’s in a relationship!”

“Who cares?” the bombshell brunette with a perfectly flat stomach tittered, “I’ll bet I can get him into bed in less than a week!”

“You’re fired,” Riley thrust the hiring paperwork back into her hands.

“What? Why?” Miranda’s head swiveled around in confusion.

“Come on,” Max gestured toward the door, “I’ll get you over to HR to process your termination paperwork.”    

The fourth one had actually been pretty good at the job, but after a year she had married one of the guardsmen that were always in and out of the office, gotten pregnant, and quit to be a stay at home mom.

Number five turned out to be an aspiring novelist looking for dirt on the royal family.

Number six caused a whole ass scandal by running away with the very married Count of Wickshire.

She’d finally relented and let Max do the advertising, interviewing, and hiring for the position like he’d asked to do in the first place. Max had brought all his organizational skills to the task. He had made flow charts and administered personality tests to candidates.

He’d found Martha who turned out to be a Godsend.

She wasn’t a hot guy for Liam to be jealous of, and she was old enough not to have any interest in Drake. She was also happily married, past childbearing age, and not a reporter. She was smart. And insanely good at the job.

Riley couldn’t have picked anyone better. Clearly, she couldn’t even pick anyone half as good judging by her track record. She had been abysmal at it.

But she had to admit, Max had knocked it out of the park with Martha. In the few short weeks she’d been there she had imposed order. The office now ran like a well-oiled machine.

And most importantly, to Max anyway, she ran things to his exact specifications.

Which was fine with Riley, she could give a crap less about how or where things were filed, who answered the phones, what information was placed in tabbed dividers vs filing cabinets, or which color marker was used to denote in-person meetings vs teleconferences vs conference calls.

She just wanted her agenda placed in front of her every morning, and whatever documents she asked for in her hand as quickly as they could get there.

Max had her agenda waiting for her on the breakfast table every morning and Martha did the rest.

Martha produced whatever she asked for, sometimes before she even asked for it. Her hot chai tea was on her desk every morning when she walked in the door and her messages came to her organized by priority and type.

If she ever threatened to quit Riley was giving her a raise. However much it took. A good office manager was worth their weight in gold.

Martha looked a little uncertain as she told the queen, “I’m sorry to bother you, Your Majesty, your attorney is here requesting a meeting with you, but he doesn’t have an appointment and Lord Beaumont was very specific about-“

“It’s ok, send him in! And Martha?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“He never needs an appointment and I’m always to be alerted immediately when he shows up, especially if it’s unexpected.”

“I’ll add him to the shortlist!”

The one that included the king, the head of her Queen’s Guard, and her personal assistant. Otherwise known as her husband and her two lovers. Lord Faheem was her lawyer. Was he more than that? Martha wondered, but it wasn’t her position to judge.

That was the other thing that made her a good office manager. Her extreme discretion.

“Thank you. Reschedule my next appointment and hold all my calls, unless it’s Liam, Drake, or Max.”

Martha disappeared and shortly thereafter Rashad appeared in her office.

All the stress drained right out of her body at the sight of him. “Ya helo! What are you doing here?” She sprang out of her chair, her face almost hurting from the width of the smile lighting it. She rounded the desk with purpose.

He moved toward her just as quickly, catching her in his arms. He buried his nose in her hair, his eyes falling shut as he inhaled deeply. Her scent sent sparks of joy and relief flooding through him.

He was content with the mostly solitary life he led but there was a coiled tension inside him that only released in her presence.

His queen. His lover. His best friend.

If he had a soulmate, she was it.

She relaxed into his arms and before she knew it, poured out the week’s frustration to him.

“I’m sorry,” she pulled away sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to just dump all that on you. Why are you here?”

“Ostensibly? I have those papers drawn up for you to bring a motion to change the succession laws.” Specifically, the part about having to be married to ascend the throne. It was utter bullshit and she and Liam had agreed that Ellie shouldn’t be subjected to it.

Riley raised an eyebrow, “Ostensibly, huh? What’s the real reason then?”

He could have had the papers couriered over and they both knew it.

“Because I haven’t seen you in months! Your voice on the other end of the phone wasn’t cutting it. I needed to touch you,” he confessed.

She had missed him too and now he was standing in front of her asking her to run away with him and it was oh so tempting.

“Just for the rest of the day,” he wheedled, “I’ll have you home in time to tuck Eleanor into bed!”

“I don’t want Max to worry-“

“That’s why I said leave a note. Or text him. Come on,” Rashad walked to the door and pulled her coat off the hook next to it, “let’s go.”

Riley mentally ran through her looming deadlines. There was nothing that couldn’t be done tomorrow, and Ellie was safe and happy at home with Max.

The council wanted to discuss a betrothal for the princess further, but the council could kiss her ass.

She could use a break.

“Okay,” she agreed as she joined him at the door and slipped into the coat he was holding open for her, “but whatever else we do, I need this to end somewhere no one can find us, or disturb us, preferably someplace with a fireplace, a huge bathtub and hot chocolate on tap!”

“I know just the place,” he assured her as he pulled the door open, “I’ll even throw in a foot rub, but first we’re going to get your favorite lunch.”

“Ohhh! The Lune Bleue?” It was her favorite bistro.

“Who else makes the world’s best Monte Cristo?”

“You do know me well,” she gave him her first smile of the day, then to Martha as they passed through the outer office, “Cancel everything for the rest of the day.”

She slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him, the stress from the day already draining from her body as he pulled the door open and ushered her through it, “Thank you for making time for me today. I intend to make sure you don’t regret it.”

Her fingers pressed into his arm, “And I intend to hold you to that.”

Rashad helped her into the back of a nondescript SUV then turned and quickly gave orders to her guards before climbing in behind her. His own vehicle would stay in the palace garages until they returned. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 was his pride and joy, but it was not equipped with bulletproof glass and Liam had drawn a hard line about the vehicles that his queen rode in. Not that Rashad minded, he found it understandable, though it did rankle a little that she was able to ride in Drake’s Devore GT.

Perhaps he’d look into having bulletproof glass installed.

They both typed into their phones as they drove. Him, to give instructions to the restaurant ahead of their arrival. Her, to let Max and Liam know where she was. Her fingers hovered over Drake’s contact for a moment. There was no need to update him. He was in the middle of the ocean, and she’d be home before he would anyway.

Drake didn’t need to know she was playing hooky with Rashad.

The Lune Bleue Bistro was Riley’s favorite spot for lunch. So much so that the restaurant had added a private dining area reserved exclusively for her use so that they were always ready for a royal visit at a moment’s notice. The expenditure was easily recouped by the hordes of customers that flocked to their doors when they learned it was the queen’s luncheon spot of choice.

The SUV pulled around to the back of the establishment so Riley and Rashad could enter undetected through a private, back door. They waited until her driver got the all-clear from the head of the team that had arrived ahead of them to sweep and secure the area.

They entered the small, but elegant private dining room to find the food already on the table. Rashad pulled her chair out as he told her, “I called ahead and told them to have your usual order ready. I hope that’s satisfactory.”

“It’s more than satisfactory, thank you, this is just what I needed.”

The man and woman that sat across from each other at the table both occupied high-powered, high-stress jobs. They both spent all day, every day making decisions that had far-reaching consequences.

Rashad enjoyed the pressure, he thrived under it. He was excruciatingly detailed oriented, having exacting standards for both himself and others. He enjoyed and needed control over almost every aspect of his life, it energized him, but it could be hard to turn it off and everyone needed downtime once in a while. The one place he could let go of all that and truly relax was the bedroom, but only with her. It was shocking how quickly he always slipped into subspace with her. She was where he found peace, solace, and a quieting of his ever-spinning mind.

In direct opposition to Rashad’s need to micro-manage every aspect of his life, Riley would have been happy to chuck all the responsibilities of ruling and live her life as a vagabond, a free spirit, going wherever and wherever the mood struck her.

She did the job she did for Liam. He had needed a queen and he had insisted it be her and despite all her protestations in the beginning, she did love him.

Max and Martha did the micro-managing for her so she could focus on the big picture. She was great at thinking outside the box, coming up with not always obvious solutions and innovations. But then she liked to hand them off to someone else to implement. She didn’t like to be bothered with the details.

She enjoyed being in control in the bedroom, but outside of it, she got tired of the constant bombardment of decisions and responsibilities so far from being annoyed by what some women might see as heavy-handedness, she quite enjoyed it when Rashad took over the small, mundane choices so she didn’t have to.

Issuing orders to her guards, choosing the restaurant, picking the food…these were small acts of love as far as she was concerned. And he was good at it because he knew her preferences. It was perhaps the one thing he had in common with Drake.

They took their time with lunch, lingering over dessert, and catching up with each other. Riley showed him recent photos and videos of Ellie and he reciprocated with photos of his nieces and nephews.

“I have a surprise for you,” he told her as they prepared to leave, “something I’d like your input on.”

“Color me intrigued! What is it?”

He smiled indulgently, “You’ll have to wait until we get there!”

***

The crown-issued SUV turned off the main highway a few miles outside of the capital and wound its way down several smaller roads before turning onto a private drive. Riley sat up and looked around curiously. It looked very familiar. The driveway was long and windy, but as they pulled around the last curve and the house came into view, Riley drew in a surprised gasp, “Rashad! What is this? Why are we here?”

“Well, it recently came on the market, and I put an offer on it.”

A delighted laugh escaped her as the SUV rolled to a stop in front of the estate. “But why?”

He gave her a hesitant smile as he opened the door and climbed out. Hopping to the ground, he turned back and offered her his hand, “I remembered how much you said you liked it when I rented it for you and Max that time.”

She took his hand and climbed out of the vehicle, “Wait…you bought it for…me?”

“Us,” he felt heat creep up his neck as he explained, “I love our trips abroad, but I’d like to see you more often when we’re both home in Cordonia. This is close enough to Stormholt City to be a quick, easy drive, but secluded enough to give us all the privacy we could want.”

The press watched his penthouse like hawks because of those stupid most eligible bachelor in Cordonia articles and the palace presented its own set of impediments, mainly Drake’s disapproval. They could only be seen together so much in public in the capital outside of business meetings or luncheons.

“Are the peacocks still here?” she asked curiously, glancing around as they made their way to the entryway.

“Yes, but put up in heated pens for the winter,” he pulled the door open for her.

She stepped out of the sharp cold and into the soft warmth of the interior, “And it doesn’t bother you that Max and I used it for a rendezvous?”

“No. Does it bother you?” He closed the door and turned to face her, pulling his coat off then reaching for hers. He hung them both up as he asked, “Do you consider it a special place for the two of you?”

“No,” she shook her head, “We were only here the one time.” She and Max had their own special places, but this wasn’t one of them.

“Okay, good,” he let out a sigh of relief as he followed her down the entryway, “So what do you think?”

“About what, exactly?”

“As I said, I put in an offer, and they accepted it, all I have to do is sign off on it to finalize the sale. I took early possession because I wanted your input first.” The sale could still be voided if she didn’t like it.

He was nervous. He had sent women flowers before, jewelry upon occasion, and he’d never second-guessed his choices for either. What he had never done before was buy an entire estate for a woman. He’d also never cared so much about her response.

She stopped in her tracks as they entered the living room. There was a fire already roaring in the fireplace, “How-“

“I texted ahead and had the caretaker start the fire. I also had him stock the kitchen with all the necessary supplies for hot chocolate. Now, I know I can’t make it like Hana can but-“

She spun around and threw her arms around him, cutting him off with a kiss. He drew her closer in his embrace as he responded to the kiss in kind.

When the kiss finally broke, he leaned his forehead against hers, both of them grinning from ear to ear, “So, you like it?”

She traced a finger along his lower lip, “I love it, ya helo, sign the papers.”

“I’ll call the realtor while I make the hot chocolate. Why don’t you go take a bath? You remember where the master bedroom is?”

“Of course but I need-“

“All of your favorite personal hygiene items are already in there. The dresser and closet have been stocked with clothing in your size.”

“Now I know you didn’t get all that accomplished over lunch!”

“No,” he admitted, “Those items were delivered this morning. I had my personal assistant purchase them. I wanted to be prepared just in case.”

“Hm,” she pushed away from him, “Well you did deliver on everything I asked for today, and then some, so what do you say we wait on the hot chocolate, and you join me for that bath?”

“I say I’ll submit to whatever you command, my queen.”

A shiver of desire slid down her spine as she laced her fingers through his, “Come on then, let’s go christen this bitch!”

She led him up the stairs, giddiness swirling through her. She couldn’t and didn’t try to suppress the smile that lit up her face at the turn the afternoon had taken. She was so happy she had decided to run away with him, if only for the day.

[aprillikesthings]

I lead part of EfM thing today (see earlier posts) and it went well ahhhhh thank God

and I've made my lunches for the next week!

and I'm munching on a salad

and all day I was looking forward to this, the moment I can (re)watch MORE SHE-RA

I've barely worked on my longer fic this weekend (other than copy/pasting a bunch of things Nate said after the show ended into the notes section of the doc) and tbh rewatching the ACTUAL SHOW is hella distracting bc with twenty eps left we're going to start getting into more of the really high-stakes stuff

Also, true story: I originally watched, like, the second half of season 4 and all of season 5 in two days of marathoning with Daci. So quite frankly? The last, like, third of the show is just kind of a blur to me now.

SO LET'S GO

s4 ep7 Mer-Mysteries

A mission in Dryl went badly, they've figured out someone's telling the Horde what they're doing, they're not tracking Adora because she wasn't even there--

YES

plz enjoy Sea Hawk's faces

Bow's sudden nervousness reminds me of when I was in line at the TSA in Dulles airport and was weirdly nervous. I had no reason to be nervous. AND YET. I'm usually totally fine at TSA? But the people at Dulles were scary!!!

(I was way less nervous coming back from Iceland, despite knowing I had Kinder Surprise Eggs in my suitcase. Which are actually illegal to bring into the USA. You can buy "Kinder Joy Eggs" in the USA, which do not have the toy, but the ones with the toys are against the law! Anyway I bought them for Daci. I was only nervous for a split second at customs in the USA bc they asked me what I'd brought home from Iceland and I was like...wool yarn. books. sweets (I'd also bought licorice and chocolate). But he just waved me through. WHEW.)

she's still big mad about this lolol

BUT she's right a spy IS the only thing that makes sense (but also the audience knows shit they don't)

Pearl?? A Pearl who knows too much?????

c'mon I had to

lolol they lampshaded the way lightning keeps striking when Mermista says something

to be fair she IS the most recent addition and the one they know the least

oh hey I also write everything in purple (or lavender) ink

lol

oh, shut up

well not this episode, specifically

LOLLLLL

honestly this is a lot like the DnD episode

so on the one hand, I know Flutterina is doing this to make them fight, but on the other hand Glimmer is right; on the other OTHER hand, I also would prefer a warning before being forced to see my abusive parent having free range of the castle I live in

BAHAHAHA I read Nate saying these two were interrupted on a date night, but also plz notice the colors of the flowers, it's literally most of the lesbian pride flag, they were SO unsubtle

The Ken from Plumeria is talking to the pastry chef from Dryl with the super cute outfit, and she looks bashful for a second after this screenshot; I am now shipping this and no one can stop me

speaking of ships (yes I know this isn't meant to be shippy lol)

a youtube video titled "it's raining on your window and you live in Bright Moon Castle ASMR for sleep 4 hours"

(....I'd listen to that)

(On a related note, mynoise dot net has a bunch of rain sounds on the website, and it also has an app--it's seriously the BEST website/app for ambient sounds because they're so adjustable and never repeat, and I just want everyone to know about them. The rain and ocean sounds are great on earbuds to cover up snoring so you can sleep!!! Worked better than my fancy earplugs while I was on the Camino and sleeping in all those hostels)

And back to the cartoon, where there's obviously suspicious shit happening because people seem to be in two places at once and their communications thing got shattered

oh so her name IS just The General

Flutterina (aka Double Trouble) has got to be like "oh my god wtf is up with this dude I cannot handle this bullshit"

Once again Glimmer proves that her and Catra are actually very, very alike

BUSTED

OOHHHHH they set up a trap I forgot, this is amazing

Adora: "we created a diversion :)" Glimmer: "You were a really good actress. For once."

pfft

Anyway Double Trouble is confessing the whole plan

:(

poor Mermista :(

there's a creepy-ass moment of seeing part of Horde Prime's face as he smiles, roll credits

[chaotick-musings]

Sett's marriage proposal to Qadira

(This Drabble was originally written by me almost 3 years go, but I've never posted it. Since @thegoldentigress mentioned it, I thought I'd put it here too so I can properly save it. I thought of changing some things, but I decided to post it as it was so it can be properly archived I hope you like it)

“Mommaaaaa she’s going to laugh at me!” Sett was squirming inside of his tuxedo, truly finding a tailor that could do a proper suit for him was a half of the hassle, and the other half was trying not to destroy said suit while he put it on. Black and White, like his Momma recommended, with a golden bow tie and gold rings, and finally the braid decoration that Qadira had done for him.

“Oh nonsense my dear! You’ve been planning this moment for almost half a year!” By ‘he’ has been planning; his mom meant ‘she’ had been planning based on the information that Sett had given her. The usual procedure was Sett mentioning something that Qadira liked, his momma giving him an idea, and then Sett finding the expert and putting in the money for it. And indeed, a lot of money was put forth for this little, as well as a lot of planning and talking to the rest of the fighting ring.

As far as Qadira was concerned, today was meant to be a special exhibition match on the beach in the middle of the night, with some ‘high profile moneybags’ coming to watch and throw money. Sett told her to come in her best dress, since she wasn’t fighting, and that she had to be punctual, so as the clock was reaching 12, he had to make sure that everything was in place.

His Lieutenants (that his momma thought where just co-workers), were making sure that everything was in order, talking to the musicians he brought from Kumungu (he couldn’t find her specific tribe, but thought that perhaps those were enough), to the people in charge of the fireworks, to the flowers…it was a small army moving around and working their way all over the beach getting ready for--

“Here she comes Settrigh!” His momma screamed, giant ears, did wonders for listening in. Everyone went to their positions as the silhouette of Qadira started forming from the horizon. The first thing that happened was the music, a small orchestra building up her entrance, as they played the song he had selected. “Ode to the Ocean Queen”, seemed fitting for the occasion of a water-controlling tigress.

When she was 20 metres away, the fireworks began, filling the night sky with a vast array of colors, especially gold, orange and crimson Their colors, before exploding in a sea of teal with a huge golden heart on it. He can see her face of confusion, and she’s about to stop, when his momma (bless her soul) walks up to her and gives her a hug. Locking arms, they walk forward together into the ‘path’.

Plumerias and Hibiscus on the edges, and a golden teal carpet mark the way towards an extremely nervous wolverine, who can only think of how absolutely gorgeous her girlfriend is as his lieutenants begin to throw flowers onto the path. A pack of Stellacorns are commanded to fill the sky, dancing on top of them with the fireworks, while other elementalists dance in rythim with the music, fire, water, ice, earth, sand, seem to tell a story, about a wolverine finding a tiger in a beach…and their travels together.

All of that was an explosion of color that filled the beach all around them and then…

She’s here.

Right in front of Sett.

His momma let’s go of her and gives her a little push so she is only a few feet away.

Time freezes, the beach goes quiet as everyone waits for him to talk. Clenching his fist to steel himself, he kneels down, the moon reflecting from the sea behind him filling him with a silver glow, the only sound being that of the tigress gasping in shock and covering her mouth.

“Qadira… when I was a boy…I didn’t think I could ever love anyone that wasn’t family…I was beating blue and black so many times, that eventually I only knew how to beat people back.” Sett’s voice was very soft, almost quivering and doubting, as if remembering his childhood was that painful. His mom was sniffing and holding back the tears of happiness from behind Qadira. “When I grew up…I learnt to care for people aside from my Momma. I learnt what it meant to have … ‘coworkers’ you have to defend and protect, but…I can’t honestly say I love them, I care for them deeply but not that way…”A small glance to his Lieutenants who all gave an understanding nod before he continued.

“Specially you…god, how I hated your guts when I first saw you, you acted and sounded exactly like the type of person I hated, and honestly I could not wait for you to be gone and then…” A small chuckle escaped his mouth, looking at the ground for a bit, before locking eyes with her “And then we spent that night together just…talking. Enjoying our company. Slowly you’ve taught me more and more about life, that there’s more to it than it just being  a giant ring where you beat people up or you get beaten up.You taught me to love….you taught me to love you…”

“I love you, Qadira” Slowly he produces a small box, opening it to reveal a gold ring with a beautiful diamond on top. He can feel some tears escaping his eyes from his eyes and he thinks how foolish he must look. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to make you happy, and I want to be happy so….”

“Will you marry me?”

Silence. Eternal silence as she begins to cry, her hand moving towards the ring and…

“Yes”

Laughter, cries, music, fireworks, and much much more fill the night sky. But Sett can only pay attention to the woman around his arms. The woman he loves so much. The woman he’ll marry.

Qadira Marmoris.

His fiancé.

[caitchercatlady]

Ranking Asian Dramas of 2024: Summer

Welcome to part three of the Asian Dramas of 2024 series. This post will focus on shows that I finished to completion in the summer season. Let's reintroduce ourselves to the ranking system.

Where’s the Replay Button?

They Got the Bag

Good For What it Was

Wanted to like but it has eh?

Why did I even Finish this?

Fake Buddies (Premiered Apr 27; Why did I even Finish This/Wanted to like but it has eh?)

The only way I can describe this is “Cheating is ok because it turns out they’re gay (or bi)” the series. Perhaps I should’ve created a new tier called “Why the hell was this made?” So how was I supposed to enjoy a series that’s about four people being the worst?

Love Sea (Premiered June 9; Good for What it Was)

I should’ve known what I was getting into when the MyDramaList page for this drama included the top forum, which was a thirst thread. At least for the first half of the series, this was nothing but thirsty. What I was not ready for was the rest of the series, which suddenly jumps into family drama. Come to think of it, was not ready for this series at all, but I was so happy I watched it anyway. After all this, Fort has become my favorite Thai actor, and I want my own Mut.

Takara’s Treasure (Premiered Jul 1; wanted to like but it has eh?)

This drama was really boring. I like the hiking slice of life part, and I wish they showed more personality traits in Taishin and Takara. Well, actually, we do learn more about Takara as the series goes on, but I don’t know who told Konishi Eito to give Taishin the personality of a puppy with PTSD because I can’t recall a time in this show when Taishin doesn’t act so shy and nervous all the time. Isn’t he supposed to like the outdoors? Give him something else! Also, why was the last episode the best episode of this whole series?

Find Love in Her Mind (Premiered July 3; Why Did I Even Finish This?)

This show did have…some budget? Honestly though, if I had some random girl asking me to taste my cooking, I’d call the cops. What bothered me the most is that whoever was in control of the audio mixing doesn’t seem to know how to properly mix, especially with the internal thoughts scenes.)

Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru (Premiered July 4; They Got the Bag)

Ayaka is a very weird person, but at the same time, it’s that weirdness that encompasses falling in love with your coworker so well. People know that Ayaka is weird, but she also does the work she needs to, so her company doesn’t really bat an eye at it…except Hiroko, the woman she has a crush on, but who is also her boss. I admit that I was iffy about watching this because of the boss and subordinate demographic, something that Hiroko herself brings up a multiple amount of times in the show. In fact, for something that was originally supposed to be a comedy, the show later does bring the reality of gay marriage politics into the forefront quick. Every episode is a battle between Ayaka, who brings the modern notion of being homosexual is not a crime, but something to be embraced, and Hiroko, a generation older than Ayaka, who has had lesbian relationships fail due to the anti-gay landscape. As much as she wants to be happy like Ayaka, Hiroko has seen too much misery in being lesbian in her work life to reciprocate even though she really wants to. Even though the argument is more political than it is career based, having their company be used as a romantic battle ground is a little…harassment-is, and Hiroko has brought it up before. I don’t like how abrasive Ayaka is in that regard, but it’s their debates in private that remind me that this is a old vs new mentality in regards to being LGBT and not a work conflict in itself.

This Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans (Premiered July 5; Wanted to like but it has eh?)

I could clearly tell that this show was made to show some sexy chefs in the kitchen. So the plot is supposed to be how Plawan is trying to earn money to pay for his family member’s medical bills, so he’s gonna fake it until he wins a cooking competition, but he uses this competition to get closer and have sex with Oab, the head chef of the restaurant he works for. This show is so dumb in plot that really, I only stayed for the sexy time, and not the competition itself. Also, yes, I avoided every moment with the female character because I knew exactly where it was going.

I Can Hear the Sunspot (Premiered July 26; Why Did I Even Finish This?)

I don’t even know how to describe how I feel about this series. It started out so well but the more I watched it, it made me ask myself, “Did I even like the original manga?” I had to, right? This drama was so dull and sterile.

Mr. Mitsuya’s Planned Feeding (Premiered Jul 26; They got the bag)

This drama was not what I expected from a homosexual male age gap BL drama. Well, it feels less like a BL and more like a mature romance that just so happens to have gay characters in it, which is not a bad thing at all. The chemistry is tight knit, and that’s the best kind of chemistry between two people.

Pretty Boys (Premiered Jul 31; Good For What it Was)

Why does this movie feel like the book, Will Grayson, Will Grayson? If you don’t know what that is, you can find it on Goodreads. This movie was a comfort movie for me. I needed something corny as hell, and Pretty Boys was it. If anything, this movie was the definition of camp, and it’s fine.

Monster Next Door (Premiered Aug 8; Wanted to like but it has eh?)

Jokes about the turtle’s enclosure aside (even though that did play a part in how I felt about the production of this show), the couple, God and Diew, made this show happen the way that it did. But with each episode closer to the end, the flaws of it become clearer. It went from cute to boring rather quickly, and it annoys me. God stepping over Diew’s boundaries rubbed me the wrong way.)

Same Place, New Pace (Premiered Aug 10; Good for what it was)

Cozy, but Pugan never paints anything XD

Heartbreak to Happiness (Premiered Aug 31; They Got the Bag)

This is a short GL series on recovering from heartbreak to do the things that you want to do to create change. If you’re looking for a chillaxing short show, this is it.

[semi-imaginary-place]

umineko ep1 and some of 2 playthrough notes.

japans failing birthrate all the cousins are only children. Probably because the author didnt want to handle more characters given how obsessed with lineage and marriage and family rank the ushiromiya family is surprised they didnt breed more.

Overthinking. The game. Wow everyone monologues. Everyone overthinking and assuming schemes which os probably true given the narrative set up. However irl some people do have a lack of compassion and some screws loose and will brutally murder others for no reason.

eva hideyoshi locked room murder. Battler already gave a plausible explanation earlier for kinzo in that the murderer was still in the room at the time of discovery. I do think it's beatrice because i watched the anime ages ago but i only vaguely remember it.

Kanon died faster by pulling the icepick out

I really like natsuhi, she tries so hard and she cares so much but she is the last person who should have a gun since she's uh kinda tightly wound and a little neurotic and it's easy to get her worked up.

Lol teatime. The game stats at the end of the credits thing makes me wish this actually was like an adventure game instead of what it seems to be which is a linear novel with pictures invoking the aesthetics of a multiple ending game. For me i watched the anime so i know beatrice shows up, the golden butterflies, and that i play a lot of jrpgs and fantasy games so I'm just used to magic being a thing. But the reveal that everything until now has been MARIA'S journal casts thing in a different light unreliable narrator and all so the mysteries might have been played up as magic the golden butterflies might not have actually been there the only the audience knows are the facts of the murders in which case yeah still could have been human. Based on the evidence i do suspect a 19th person. Probably the biggest sticking point for me was the letter appearing in the study how did it get here without magic if the servants did not do it. Battler and beatrice seem like they're having fun. One of my first thoughts was that one of the 6 original dead wasn't actually dead because the faces were torn off. Also this twist has been used a lot.

Yeah this got real post modern meta. There's several meta characters too like the narrator and the player and whoever is writing the character profiles (i suspect maria?). And beatrice addresses the player and challenges us and i am unclear whether she means the player or battler. Into ch 2 im noticing a strong theme of perspective. From kirie's flipping the chessboard (turnabout anyone), to the whole sea thing, beatrice being real or not depending on whether people believe in her.

Fandom seems to hate george and yeah the shannon thing is yikes like i dont get why the writer didnt make shannon like 19 and george 21 it would have worked the same with the weird skewed power dynamic but they just had to make an age gap and shannon very underage. Shannon's love or george almost seemed to develop coincidentally like jessica was pointing out what a man george was just as shannon was questioning her role as furniture. Oh the point i was making! fandom seems to hate george and i didn't get it i started with a very neutral impresion of him and i actually like him more now george initially came off as such a normie compared to his uh... colorful family, but ep2's internal narration reveals that he's just as much a freak as the rest of them! He's so weird! Also he thinks about manliness so much i am doubting he's straight also he and shannon have no chemistry. Not sure who my favorite character is. I like natsuhi she cares and is always trying her best even if she's unhinged and a nervous wreck. I like hideyoshi he seems like one of the only people I'd actually get along with and who's company I'd enjoy. I like battler sometimes other times i just want to tie him up and duck tape his mouth (also the anime perv jokes are cringe). I liked kyrie but havent seen much of her. Beatrice might be my new favorite really she's having fun and is also kinda sad. Eva i both love and hate at the same time man what a great character. My least favorite character is probably maria she's so annoying and i never liked characters with self enforced helplessness who dont take responsibility for their own problems and behaviors, and cause their own problems. It's the same reason i don't like fe3h bernadetta or nge ikari shinji. They're infuriating to watch. Maria causes her own problems and then stews in them and suffers while never changing her behavior which is causing a lot of her grief. Relationships are a two way street you have to be willing to meet other people half way. Now with maria she is just a kid and a lot of it isnt her own fault she never was taught better but that doesnt mean she cant be annoying. She's also really immature like most 4 year olds i know are as about as mature as she is i keep forgetting she's 9 and thinking she's like 6. A lot of people also hate rosa and yeah she's a regular child abuser maria deserves better rosa should never throw tantrums and take out her temper on anyone really but especially not her young daughter. but i do sympathize with Rosa. Rosa does care about maria like even when maria's ... what was it... clearly wasn't in that part of the garden rosa went and futilely searched with her. And after when Maria still wanted to stay despite evidence it wasn't there and the rain which was dangerous to her health, rosa offered a compromise to search with her later. She tried so hard to take care of maria and maria is probably a special needs child who need s more energy and time then most. And then rosa lets her own problems get to her and took them out violently on maria. Rosa is wayy too sensitive about perceived hits to her pride, so many issues. I think the writer does a good job of making every character unlikable and sympathetic at the same time, they're all flawed and human and complex. Like kyrie is cool but she also did cheat with a married man. Hideyoshi doesn't seem to have any flaws so far (besides being a capitalist) but i'm waiting george had to end up that way some how.

Rosa slaps maria. Maria cries. Rosa slaps maria for crying. Beatings will continue until morale improves. And then getting defensive about beating a child in public.

Since beatrice and battler both aren't willing to admit defeat are they proposing to spend eternity together playing over these 2 days endlessly.

I'm starting to think rosa might actually have some sort of untreated anger disorder. She really just snaps on the flip of a dime. Beating a child multiple times a day. Rosa's got a lot of her plate sure from the husband than ran away, being a single mom and running a business, her siblings all bully her, eva especially is out to put her down to soother her own sense of security and position. And maria is a convenient outlet as the only person she has power over. And so frequent child abuse. Maria needs to get out except japan's modern displaced child system is bad im assuming the 80's weren't better and maria would be pretty bad off under any of the other parents. And rosa doesn't do anything to fix her own behavior either this cycle continues of violence then rosa begging forgiveness and doing something nice because she feels guilty only to blow up again. And this just repeats multiple times a day.

[sunnisurrealism]

Hi Timmy. After the very depressing post of yesterday I want to lift our spirits! I am fully stepping up to my responsibility of being the communicator in this relationship (though I still INFINITELY appreciate the 1227.1995 and MB posts hehe VIEL DANK 😍🥰😘) and it is very important to me that I ensure our nervous systems are regulated, especially after the immense turmoil of the past few months 😔 I am doing a full apology session for the next usb, and for now I want to give you hope by sharing next my ideas, only to compliment your own, for the book! Again it is the brunt of your destiny to figure out how to balance my and your ideas. It is for this reason I need to make it clear that my ideas are only inspiring ideas, and none of them “ought to be” in the book. I will fully flush out these ideas in the next USB, and to explain them all here would be quite overwhelming, nevertheless I want to share overall ideas to give you hope and excitement during our constant difficult times!

-Félix has “baptism” in magic mirror fountain and his hair turns fuchsia! Sunnï is so utterly delighted by the infinite cuteness that she cannot help it like her body feels no choice and she jumps from the wall into the fountain with him and kisses and licks him all over like a happi happi puppy and… they have sexy times in the sacred fountain 😅😍😛 ultimate make up sex vibes.

-Félix and Sunnï are high on lyfe chirping away while walking through the norty neature forest feeling happi happi happi and very secure and bonded. More sexi times. Sunnï quite distracted accidentally eats the wrong mushroom, even though she is usually very good at identifying correctly. She goes into coma seizure frothing at mouth. Félix panics freaking out. She mumbles weird things about the gods and visions. In pain. Then! SPROUTS ANTENNAS! she comes back, and tries to explains visions of the gods, but doesn’t know much other than that believing they are real. Félix is frustrated that she saw things he didn’t, but knows his own connections to questioning reality is real too (the colours, the secret coin, the pursuit of this knowledge is the purpose of their quest). Sunnï is exhausted and he nurtures her and they rest.

-The are bombarded by the Literal Bad Ass Shitey Donkz Shit Lords of The Shartel and are both, for absolutely no reason, utterly literally sharted on by the Shitey Donkz Donkeys. (Backstory on USB).

-Frog Mage (like memes) comes to comfort them and explain that random bad shit (literally) sometimes happens in lyfe and we just gotta deal. It occurs to Sunnï that Frog and Toad were her secret guardians (by under the guise of whom and how did they know and why?) Frog Mage tells them to go to magic greenhouse pond to cleanse themselves? (Original 2020 artwork). Maybe they are washed down first. Sunnï and Félix play hide and seek in botanical gardens and when Félix sees Sunnï on pillar (2020 artwork). They go to bottom of pond in greenhouse, Félix gets hooves stuck in mud (?). Félix officially gains merman transformation powers. (Ps. I’m not sure when you want to integrate sunglass metaphor from Das Booboe Zwei but that scene also somehow has to be included).

-Upon Félix officially gaining merman transformation powers, they want to go to ocean. As mermaids they hella explore and have good time, making friends with sea creatures. Somehow, for a second when they are looking either way, Sunnï is captured by: PIRATES! When she is lifted onto their boat she turns back nÿmph. Leader of the pirates is Captain Manu. They all threaten raping her. She is terrified. Félix (is he Mrinmöy now idk, seems like that identity comes later with more growth), absolutely freaks out. Maybe he feels her scared mood telepathically in a certain colour? Right when Sunnï is about to get raped somehow she is saved, either picked up by the wind or by a Pegasus (that would be cool - don’t forget the gods are in forms of animals). Sunnï is brought to land, Pegasus tells her to trust why she is being separated. Pegasus would be male. On land Sunnï is delivered to The Last Unicorn, where they bond as symbolizing her pure femininity. Meanwhile, merman Félix finally sees the boat and tries to do something sneaky on the pirates to distract / mindblow them (like Willy Wonka he would never be violent, social surrealism to shock people out of their ways, idk what you wanna do, I like an imagine of them somehow all wearing pink flower hats or crowns or something? Maybe in faun form he somehow uses his magic tail. Again no violence allowed ever from Félix or Sunnï in the book) but Félix learns too late Sunnï was saved by Pegasus. He is thankful and knows the gods are somehow on his side, but very concerned about knowing how he will find her. He swims as merman away utterly distraught when he stumbled upon Darby Johns, the The Dood son of Santa Clause and Davey Jones, who delivers all the mermaids their Sea Weed across the 8 Seas for Xmas. Darby is a stoner bro who tells him to chill and trust the flow of lyfe (the big Lebowski equivalent). He calms Félix/Mrinmöy down by sharing the Sea Weed. Darby Johns takes Félix/Mrinmöy to the secret far away 8th Sea to meet The Mermaids, and Félix/Mrinmöy explains his situation with Sunnï??? Timmy idk who or how thee mermaids would work in the book, but we know this was coming. Who are they? What are their backstory? Are they secret keepers of wisdom (EI?). Mermaids are diverse in every way. Race, body shape, expression, skills. The arw so diverse in physical appearance they are practically alien-like. Way more physical diversity, and tbh beauty!, than human diversity on earth. Overall tho they are probably very peaceful chill, like they got life figured out. Probably kinda rasta. Probably egalitarian but lyfe is still interesting (?). If there are leaders of the mermaid civilization they would probably not be majority white (important to show in book). I highly respect black rasta mermaid vibes (think alien rasta memes) but also please include all ethnic groups from earth. What would their civilization be like? What would he Mrinmöy’s connection to them? Would they have a prophecy with him and Sunnï/her mermaid ascendant name that you have chosen like in Dune? Are they like the fremen? How are they connected to the giant Maracuja flower and the 7 cities? They would definitely be wiser and keepers of ancient wisdom secrets. What to they have figured out that the land folk do not? Do they have connections to the land folk? Did they ostracize themselves from the land folk? Félix/Mrinmöy should probably go into an initiation with them as they are impressed by his transformation journey. Perhaps it is very strange that a nymph and faun have the ability to turn into mermaids. Is there a prophecy? Does the prophecy have to do with The Godz? What should we avoid from lessons from Dune? Please write carefully 😌

-Merfolk and Mrinmöy make magic plan to find Sunnï. Upon describing Sunnï life story the Merfolk are reminded of the inadvertently lonely last unicorn, and believe Sunnï must be with her (due to similar solitary life stories). Then, somehow the mermaids use the narwhals to connect with the magic unicorn. The leader narwhals creates a rainbow out of its horn connects with the horn of the last unicorn. Mrinmöy turns back into Félix and the same Pegasus comes and he rides the Pegasus flying the rainbow all the way to Sunnï and the last unicorn, who were chilling and cuddling on the beach. Sunnï and Félix reunite utterly happi and crying happi tears. Félix tells her all about how he met the merfolk in the secret 8th sea, and Sunnï tells him all about how the last unicorn taught her to protect and never be ashamed of her sacred divine feminine. Then, after Félix and Sunnï had some quality time talking with the last unicorn together and Félix learns about the protecting the divine feminine, they both fly back to the 8th sea on the Pegasus and I guess now as mermaids Mrinmöy introduces Sunnï/whatever her ascendant mermaid name is, to their merfolk, and they all discus how peculiar it is that a nymph and faun have gained the abilities to turn into mermaids and what it means. Maybe as Félix explains that he gained merman transformative powers when he hooves were stuck in the mud they give him Mrinmöy sacred merman name (similar to Muad’Dib). They are surprised and curious about Sunni’s antennas, but she explains to them she can’t control them. Sunnï also explains to them how she got mermaid transformation powers (Timmy you can decide that one 😅). Overall maybe The Merfolk had a prophecy that The Gods are coming back to Trollita and they see Félix and Sunnï strange and never before seen transformative powers into Mermaids as a sign. Again, avoid bad parts of Dune.

I love this! They needed to meet the mermaids somehow, and I like dune reference. Perhaps there was no "chosen one" prophecy but the merfolk and nevertheless extremely flabbergasted that a nymph and faun got mermaid transformative powers. something strange is going on in the nature of reality, the main quest of knowledge in this book! 🕳️🐋

Edit: the mermaids have probably self-ostracized themselves from the landfolk because the landfolk were of lower emotional intelligence ie. were violent / had war. Perhaps they realized they lived in more peace and *safety* in the secret far away 8th sea. Was there a big event that happened when they self ostracized? when the book escalates into the destiny of the planet sharing the gifts of the cities and transplanting the giant flower, the mermaids will probably finally share their divine wisdom with the landfolk, with the ideas that if they get over their violent tendencies then they will all benefit from the sharing of the gifts and necessary transplant of the flower and may all be rewarded with contact with the gods (ancient prophecies of gods being real are seemingly true, the final crux point approaching!). have to be worthy somehow vibes. the mermaids are never violent. *it will never be Sunnï or Félix who are the sharers of this wisdom, it will always be the OG mermaids themselves. In this way it is not like Dune, and in this way the diversity of the mermaids represents the oppressed groups of earth being the divine and wise tbh more emotionally mature leaders of change* the mermaids were always on a higher (in this case lower in the ocean) level. They understand the secrets beneath the surface. Whatever mermaid character ultimately does share the higher wisdom to the landfolk in the later book, probably the last one, should probably be black. If you want it could be Kid Cudi, because he is a Chosen One and he is very very wise. It's up to you!

Ps. Please see recent additions to the book folder on Pinterest for mermaid aesthetic vibes of this chapter. Very diverse beauty! Mermaids SLAY effortlessly 💅🏻 all of this is obviously inspired by the latest little mermaid movie! Ily Halle Bailey. Can’t wait for the new animated show! Made in Vancouver and my friend worked on it! I’m gunna have to ask my dad to get Disney plus again just for that hehe!

Edit: I forgot to include, before Sunnï eats the mushroom Félix is somehow gifted his Magic Flute from Pan equivalent animal (goat?). He wears it in sheath on back like sword but flute. He plays it for himself and Sunnï to calm their nervous systems. Maybe he plays it when she has seizure and it brings her back to. I’m really sorry Timmy but I will not be sending you the flute irl right away because I want to record with it!!! I’m so sorry! But it is safe. :)

Edit edit: if you include Kid Cudi as The Chosen One Merman, maybe he is their magic musician. Maybe he is a flute player like Félix! Maybe Félix’s magic flute works underwater and him and Merman Cudi realize they are both flute players and hella bond and play.. duets together! That would be so graceful beautiful. Two aesthetically beautiful mermans playing flute duets to calm the seas and world :’) just an idea. Originally I thought Cudi would be a flute wizard. I guess he could be a WIZARD MERMAN! His magic is music that influences the flow of the tides and water and fish and critters. Oh I like that. I like that a lot.

[1eaf-me-alone]

I love you, my dear

first time you say you love them + go in for a kiss

re- write of a post I did a year ago along with added characters, if you want to read the original post click here

including: Albedo, Ganyu, Kazuha, Ayaka, Cyno, Xiao and Heizou

— — — — — — —

Albedo: 

Beneath the midnight howl, amid the branches that groan a fierce snow storm blew outside as the two of you sat in the cave. You heard the wind whip, lashing loudly at the rocks as the rain thundered down towards the cave echoing throughout it.  You could smell the wet pine trees outside earthy and damp. 

You walked towards the man who was standing next to the fire. His eyes creased as he re-tried his experiment. You lay his shoulders on him tired from the day 

as he stopped to look at you. You dragged a chair next to him gazing into his sparkling  eyes which shone brightly into yours as they twinkled. 

He continued to work that night as you slowly drifted to sleep watching the hypnotising  flames of the fire- your head slowly tilting as it fell on Albedo’s lap. He smiled as he watched you sleep, your eyes closed and your face peaceful.

Albedo stroked your hair, gently gazing  at you. He let out a chuckle  looking at the position you had somehow put yourself in. Your whole body twisted and intertwined on the chair-  you didn’t look comfortable. Albedo decided to lift and carry you to bed. 

He gently picked you up as he stood to carry you into your place of sleep. Your eyes fluttered open from the movement as you murmured

“I love you Albedo” 

Albedo glanced at you looking down upon your face 

“Took you long enough”

You clung  onto his neck as you kissed him, your cheeks blushing red feeling his warm lips against yours for the first time and many to be.

“Love you too”

——————————————————

Ganyu: 

Ganyu sat in the grassy fields whilst she waited for you. The vibrant display of flowers covered the ground . Rose pink, honey yellow and fiery red flowers dotted the field . A faint sound of bees buzzing along with the smell of ripe fruits from the trees surrounded you. A  light breeze made  it’s jolly way around the long, luscious grass in the summer day.

As soon as she saw you Ganyu’s eyes opened wide as she perked up and sat straight, a smile on her face. You sat next to her in the long, grassy field as she twirled a bracelet made of sweet flowers for you.

You looked at her then, into her starry- galaxy like eyes, her long light blue hair which had flowers scattered on it from sitting on the grass and her cute sky blue eyebrows. The bell on her chest jingled quietly as Ganyu turned to look at you,  realising she was being stared at she looked down towards the grass fiddling her finger. A bright blush appearing on her face as she touched her horns (a thing she did when she was nervous) 

“I love you Ganyu”

Ganyu gasped lightly as she turned to look at you, her whole face blossoming like a cherry as a smile spread wide- she looked so cute like that.  

“I-I” she stuttered at a loss for words as her face brightened even more. You gently cupped her face, moving away the hair covering it as you tucked it behind her ear and kissed her.

Her lips where sweet and cushiony against yours and her breath smelled of soft sweet flowers. Both of you closed your eyes embracing the moment, the world seemed to spin with the two of you. The kiss warmed everything inside of you. You leaned in whispering something in her ear as you pulled back. 

Ganyu  paused , closed her eyes gently touching her lips as she smiled.

“Love you too.”

————————————————-

Kazuha: 

the ship rocked and rolled in the sea as the waves crashed against it, the sea wind blew wildly at your hair and the salt sprayed on your face making your cheeks go bright red. 

You and Kazuha sat an the side of the ship your legs kicking the edge as the waves collided, spraying sea water up in the air. 

Birds called one another as the sun began to set, the beautiful colours being painted in the sky.  The orange gold stretched  far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines. The glowing sun, illuminated across the water. It bathed the ocean's meek waves and the wispy clouds in a burning red.

Kazuha lifted his gaze towards you, and oh did he looks so beautiful. His face illuminated and bathed in light from the sun as the fiery red strip of hair of his glowed amongst the cloud of soft white hair. His eyes looking sweetly at you deep in a thousand thoughts, his pose relaxed and calm as he closed his eyes taking a deep breath of the fresh air in the sea. A smile upon his face. 

“I love you Kazuha”

Kazuha turned his face back towards you, a small smile on him - shining like a thousand stars. Staring at your lips  as he gently caressed your face leaning closer into you as he brushed his lips against you kissing you. 

It was light like the wind and you could feel it through you, it was soft like a feather but ever so powerful to you. 

“I love you too” he murmured  as he continued to kiss you. 

—————————————————-

Ayaka: 

The waterfall crashed down pounding in the moss covered rocks, gushing onto the clear blue bank next to it. Flowers swayed back and fourth delivering a sweet honey smell. The huge white bubble of foam gurgling and forming at the bottom - loud and deafening. 

You walked  past it, slipping out of your shoes as you stepped onto the stepping stones  barefoot- the water trickled on your skin. You skipped over the stepping stones holding out a hand towards  Ayaka’s . You bent down to pick a purple fluorescent flower as you plucked it off the ground and laid it on her  hair- she looked at you with a smile of delight.

The two of you reached the other side, purple and pink spots of lights lit the whole  forest: the fireflies flew illuminating the path, leaves from the trees danced in the wind and animals hugged the ground as they went to sleep.

You sat  yourself on the grass pointing towards Ayaka to do the same thing, she kneeled gracefully beside you. Once the two of you had sat down you hugged her in - a blush of surprise coming upon Ayaka’s face as you did so 

“Have you ever been kissed before?”

She shook her head. You pulled her in gently and before she knew it your lips where against hers, your heart was beating with hers. And even if she hadn’t ever kissed before she was just so sweet- she smiled between the kiss as you traced your fingers on her face.

“I love you Ayaka”

“Love you too”

——————————————————

Xiao:

You climbed  atop Wangshu inn, the beautiful silver moon shining through the light clouds in the night sky. Enormous mountains partook the view as the water around you glimmered in the moonlight.

A huge orange-leafed tree canopied you. The autumn colours bright in the night a shadow cast over the inn.

You walked towards Xiao who sat on the edge of the roof, you sat next to him turning your gaze on him. His eyes were closed shut but as he heard you behind him he opened them to look at you.

Both of you sat there, on the roof of Wangshu inn looking at the night sky- the bright, twinkling stars that dotted the  dark , midnight sky. 

Xiao’s hair shone in the moonlight, his turquoise accent matching the flowing water in the ponds and rivers around Liyue.

“The stars sure look beautiful tonight”

He nodded in agreement 

“Xiao? Are you… ok?”

He nodded again 

You stared at him, looking into his eyes, the pain he’s suffered, the things he’s gone through in the years, the weight he’s carried.

“Are you? You’re always pushing people back, whenever someone gets close to you you’re blocking them out, you’re making yourself- forcing yourself to be unhappy, I’ve never seen you smile and whenever I get close you block me out. You never talk about how you’re feeling and that hurts because… because I love you.”

You shuffled closer to him then squeezed his hand intertwining your fingers in his.

“I love you Xiao”

You brought  him into a kiss, as he pulled back.

“No. I can’t do this.”

“Why?” 

“I can’t. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve you. I can’t do this now, not now. I don’t love you. I can’t love you. I don’t have time for a relationship- I can’t return your feelings. ” 

he stood up to leave but you stopped him, grabbing his hand as you turned him around .

“Why?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt- if I saw you get hurt I don’t think I could manage. I don’t want you to get hurt by me.”

“Oh shut the fuck up- I’m gonna love you even if I do die in your arms”

You massaged your finger on his chest, tracing a heart

“You’re enough for me don’t you ever forget that. You do deserve love and I’m happy to wait when you’re ready- I love you and  I don’t care about you being dangerous, I don’t mind that. 

Xiao looked at you, a small smile appeared on his face,  leaning closer into you, you pulled him  in as you kissed him again. This time his face softened, his features looked less sharp, the tension on his body let loose as he embraced your kiss and closed his eyes, breathing into the kiss

“Fine. Maybe I can give this relationship thing a go” 

——————————————————

Cyno:

A small, bright candle flickered in the dark room illuminating Cyno’s face. His piercing, red fiery eyes being brought by the light shining on him. The smell of the dusty library and fresh wood filled your nose along with the sound of the turning pages of the books.

It was only the two of you. Everyone had left ages ago- sitting on opposite sides of the bench with only the small candle and the moon shining outside as a source of light. 

The akademiya was silent- everyone had either gone or was asleep by now. There was something peaceful about the silence in  the room - the only noise being the flicking of the pages now and then. 

You stared at the man you had grown to know, the person who followed you in interest in your lessons, who shared his books with you, who only smiled when he was at you or appeared slightly nicer with you. You stared at the man who’s milky white hair dropped on his shoulder being covered by a black cloak. 

“I love you”

Cyno looked up from his  book, now dropping his gaze at you.  He closed his book as he stood up, walking around the desk slowly and kissed you. 

“Love you too”

——————————————————

Heizou: 

“Please- say that you love me, say it “

You sighed 

“Heizou not now i’m working” 

Your whole desk was filled with papers you had yet to finish along with a long line of signatures you had to sign for cases and unopened letters you had to read. The clock ticked loudly interrupting your thoughts. 

“Hey”

Heizou wheeled his chair closer to yours poking your shoulder 

“Hey- hey”

“WHAT now” 

You groaned. This guy wasn’t going to let you work at this point. 

“I know you want to. Go on say it, say you love me, say that you love me”

His endless pestering made it even more difficult to concentrate on your work. You gave  an exasperated sigh knowing that he would keep annoying you until you gave in to his antics. You  closed  your note book slowly and looked at him

“Fine. I love you”

Heizou stood up from the chair, a smile on his face, feeling  satisfied after tampering with you for so long. 

“Now kiss me”

You sighed yet again “wasn’t confessing my love to you enough??”

What else did this man want? Wasn’t saying that you loved him enough? Honestly. Although …. you did want to kiss him 

You leaned towards him- Heizou smirked yet again winning you and succumbing to what he wanted. You closed your eyes as your lips closed in on his and then you backed away. The smirk was now on your face.

Heizou looked at you. His whole face looking utterly innocent as he frowned, titling his head making himself look adorable as his eyes widened looking like a puppy.

“B-but whyyyy”

“You son of a bitch”

You leaned in towards Heizou kissing him this time. You closed your eyes breathing in his wood like scent as you put your hands around his waist,  butterflies twirled in your stomach as your heart beat faster . you drew back slowly finishing the kiss as you walked back to your desk.

“Now let me work and don’t bother me.”

A/n: too tired now will edit format/ spelling mistakes tmrw